Call of the Lions
by RedLion2
Summary: Disgraced Air Force pilot Major Allura Castle hopes to join a new space exploratory team looking for an old war relic. Also hoping to join the team is Lieutenant Colonel Keith Kogane, a Marine sniper looking for something different. Their past passion for one another is reignited amidst a dangerous mission. A/U, drawing on DD's comics/'80s cartoon. KxA
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Voltron or its characters. This story is entirely made-up for entertainment purposes only.

CALL OF THE LIONS

CHAPTER ONE:

Allura Castle sat in the outer office of Commander James Hawkins, wondering just what exactly she was going to say to him. That some explanation would have to be given was fact. She glanced at the clock: 0400. The chair was becoming uncomfortable, and she fought not to squirm. All she wanted was to get in there, explain herself, and get the hell out. Hawkins' secretary, dark-haired and prim and probably not that proper, kept giving her little looks that made her squirm even more. The secretary was probably wondering if this was _the_ Allura Castle, the one and only "AC the Gun," one of the best fighter pilots in the history of the United States Air Force. Lethal and never beaten in a dog fight, AC had left a trail of not only broken planes in her wake, but broken hearts, as well.

The door to Hawkins' office opened, and Allura straightened in the chair. Hawkins himself stepped out and strode to his secretary's desk, leaning over it and speaking very quietly to her. Allura tried not to notice the looks they were both giving her. _Here we go again, _she thought.

"Major Castle." Hawkins gestured for her to follow him into his office, and she was all too glad to get away from the other woman's speculative gaze. "Please, sit." Hawkins sat down behind his desk, an unimpressive fake walnut thing with the edges worn down. Allura did as he asked and waited.

He flipped open a folder and perused its contents, his face unreadable. A minute passed before he looked up at her. "Why are you here, Major?"

She'd expected this question. "I want to fly again, Sir."

"You think it's going to be that easy?" His voice was deep and calm, and he kept eye contact with her.

"I'm hoping so, Sir." Her heart was hammering in her chest. She wanted this job badly.

"You do realize the Air Force recommended you be grounded for life?"

As if she could ever forget that. "Yes, Sir."

He got up and started to pace. She stayed quiet. Not only did she want this, she _needed_ it. "Your CO know you're here?"

"No, Sir."

"And you want me to reinstate your flying just like that? Without talking to the Air Force?" Now he was standing across his desk from her, arms folded over his impressive chest.

Allura took a deep breath. She could do this. She'd done far worse. "I want you to assign me to the exploration space team, Sir. The one you're sending to the Diamond Galaxy." She was proud her voice didn't shake. Anymore, that was a real feat.

He rubbed his chin and stared at her. Hard, like he was trying to see into the depths of her soul, trying to find the real her, the one that hadn't been burned and scarred by that last mission. The problem was, Allura wasn't sure that woman existed anymore.

"Not sure you're the right person for that job, Major." Hawkins sat down, flipped through the folder again, pausing here and there. Looking at her psych evals, no doubt.

"I can get it done, Sir."

"A year ago, Major Castle, I would've believed that. Would've blatantly asked you to join the team. Now, though…" He trailed off and focused on her. "Those kinds of missions change a person, Major, most of the time for the worse. I need to know the people on this team can get the job done, no matter what. Can't have my pilot flaking out, blowing the mission." He sat back in his chair, closed the file. "You understand."

"Yes, Sir, I do. But you need to understand that I _have_ to fly again. It's the only way I'm going to survive, get better. I'm the right pilot for this job." Allura held his gaze, feeling sick the whole time. If he said no, if he kicked her out and told her not to come back…it was over. End game for Major Allura "AC the Gun" Castle. There would be no more opportunities for redemption.

"Not interested in you getting better, Major. What I am interested in is your ability to get my team there and back, and do a damn good job of it." Hawkins folded his arms over his chest. "No one is going to like it if I choose you."

"No, Sir. I understand that. But you don't strike me as the kind of man who cares what other people think of you, or your decisions. Not if you feel they're the right ones," Allura said. She kept her tone level, not letting any emotion color her words.

"Flattery gets you nowhere, Major." Hawkins sighed. "Fact is, I don't think you're right for this mission. I think you're still screwed up over that last mission of yours, and you're trying to forget it happened. You want this to take your mind off of it." His eyes dared her to contradict him.

And she couldn't. He was right, and he knew it. She desperately needed something to take her mind off what had happened, and had thought this would be it. But she looked him in the eyes and said, "I am screwed up. That mission was a catastrophe. But I'm still a better pilot than most of the men and women flying today, in any country's military." Her own gaze dared him to contradict _her_.

He continued to study her. The phone on his desk buzzed, and his secretary said, "Your next appointment is here, Sir."

"Thank you, Maryanne." He stood up, gestured at the door. "It was nice meeting you."

Allura got to her feet and saluted him, though she really wanted to lash out in anger. Couldn't he see that she was perfect for this mission? But she was, above all, an officer in the United States Air Force, and she was not going to further soil her reputation by pitching a fit. She walked past him and out into the outer office, and stopped cold.

Keith Kogane was sitting in the same chair she'd been in, his eyes cast forward, his shoulders straight. Allura's breath died in her lungs, and she had to consciously remember how to breathe. It had been years since they'd last seen each other, before they'd left for careers in two different military wings, she in the Air Force and him in the Marines.

"Lieutenant Colonel Kogane," Hawkins boomed from behind her, causing Keith to look their way. Allura froze, but Keith's eyes went past her to the man behind her.

"Commander Hawkins." Keith got to his feet. His voice was firm and deep, just like she remembered it.

"Major Castle, we're done here," Hawkins said, and Allura felt heat scorch her face. She nodded and quickly walked away. Keith never said a word to her, just followed Hawkins into his office.

Secretary Maryanne gave her a sympathetic look, and Allura wanted to get the hell out there and fast. She made sure she didn't trip or do anything else embarrassing on the way out, and left the building. Southern California was warm, the air still and heavy with the promise of the storm hovering out over the Pacific Ocean. She inhaled a quick breath, trying to calm down. Just because she'd been turned down by Hawkins and seen Keith, didn't mean she had to fall apart. She was too old to let those things do that to her. At least, that's what she kept telling herself as she walked over to the curb and got into her 1968 Mustang.

Pulling out into traffic, she headed back toward the hotel she was currently calling home. Still in the Air Force, but not sure for how much longer, she didn't really have anywhere else to go. Her mom was back in Colorado, her father in Florida. Her older brother, Luke, blonde just like her, was a Garrison Ranger, and currently on deployment in the Lumar galaxy, where the planet Deltrax was experiencing unrest and revolt. Allura knew Luke loved his job, but wished he would get rotated back to Earth so they could spend some time together.

And right now, she wished that would happen, too. She could use her big brother's company, his affection, his directness. Pulling into the parking lot of the hotel, she got out and locked the Mustang as her cell phone chirped with a text message: _Get the job?_

She sighed. The text was from Major Lance McClain, a close friend of hers. Lance had been flying the night that Allura's world had gone up in smoke and flames; he'd been the first one to meet her at her F-120 Jaguar, lifting her down off the ladder and holding her, stroking her hair and telling her it wasn't her fault. But it was her fault, and they'd both known it. Lance had vehemently protested against her grounding, to the point of almost being grounded himself. She'd told him it wasn't worth it, losing his own flying career over hers.

_No_, she texted back, and shoved her phone deep into her purse. It immediately went off again, twice, but she refused to dig it back out. She couldn't deal with Lance right now. Slinging her bag over her slim shoulder, she made her way into the hotel, ignored the looks the two male clerks were giving her, and went straight to her room. She shut the door, dropped her purse on the table and threw herself face down across the king-sized bed.

_Ugh, could that have gone any worse? What was I thinking? That he'd just look the other way and let me on his team?_ She wanted to scream into her pillow. Rolling onto her back, she clutched a pillow to her chest and stared at the beige ceiling. An image of Keith Kogane floated into her mind's eye and she shivered, squeezing her blue eyes shut. _Nope. Not gonna do that._ But the image persisted until she did let out a tiny scream and sat up. It was useless just sitting her in her room like this. Her phone rang this time, and she groaned. Lance would never leave her alone until she talked to him.

So she retrieved her phone and called him, hoping she could get a few words in before he started in on her. "Lance, I—"

"What the hell, AC?" he growled. "Why're you ignoring me?"

She held in the sigh. "Because there's nothing else to say, Rocks," she said. Rocks had been Lance's nickname from flying school, since the day he'd flown so low to the ground he'd scrapped a large group of boulders with the underside of his T-11 Seabird.

"Well, what did Hawkins say?"

"He said no." She walked over to the mini fridge and pulled out an ice water.

"And what did you say?"

"I told him I could do it. I pleaded. I damn near begged, and it got me nowhere. He doesn't think I can do it." Her voice almost broke on the last few words, but she held it together. The last thing Lance needed was to hear her crying. He knew she was upset.

He was quiet for a few seconds, then huffed out a breath. "Let me see what I can do."

"Absolutely not. You get yourself in enough hot water without going to bat for me," she told him. "I'll find something else."

"In the military? This was your last shot, AC," he said. His voice wasn't unkind.

"You think I don't know that?" she snapped. Rubbing a hand across her forehead, she sighed. "I'm sorry. This isn't your problem."

"Let me make it my problem. I've got some connections. Let me use 'em," he told her. His voice was firm. "You need to fly, Allura. Let me try and make that happen."

Her heart swelled with gratitude to him. He'd been one of the few to stand by her as she watched her career spiral out of control. "I really appreciate it, Rocks, but I can't let you do that. You know how it is. You get involved, and there goes your career, too. I won't let that happen. You're one of the best pilots they've got."

"Thanks," he said. "But so are you." He was quiet for a little while, then added, "I gotta go. But this isn't over, AC. We're going to get you on that exploration team."

"Okay," she said, knowing full-well there was nothing he could say or do that would change Hawkins' mind. She hung up and sat down on the edge of the bed. Loneliness swept over her, and tired of fighting it, she let it come. When was the last time she'd gone out with friends? Gone dancing? Gone to a bookstore? Gone…anywhere? Not in a very long time, not since that last night flight, when her world got shot up and shot down.

_No pity parties. I'm so over that._ She set her phone down and got to her feet. Maybe she needed to take a drive, clear her head. Yes, that's exactly what she was going to do. She tucked her phone in her pocket, grabbed her purse, and headed back out into the warm sunshine. The storm clouds were beginning to roll in, but that didn't deter her from her mission. The Mustang rumbled to life with the growl of a fine-tuned V-8. Allura smiled and put on her sunglasses before steering the muscle car out into traffic.

An hour later she pulled into a parking lot down near the water and got out. The sun was slipping behind deep, heavy black clouds, and she knew the storm would make landfall in the next twenty minutes or so. But that gave her plenty of time to sit on the hood and watch it roll in. She'd always loved storms, loved sitting outside and watching them roll in. As a teenager, she'd often sat on the old porch swing in her parents' backyard, a glass of cold lemonade in one hand, her other hand tucked inside Keith's…._don't go there. You can't. It won't do you any good, girl._ But the thought had already implanted itself in her mind, and she couldn't seem to shake it. And for a few moments, she didn't see the hurt in remembering how it had been.

Keith Akira Kogane had been her best friend since kindergarten, when he'd stepped in to defend her from a playground bully who'd pushed her off a swing. At the sight of young Keith, unruly dark hair flopping into his chocolate brown eyes, his small fists held at chest level, ready to fight, Allura had been smitten. She'd been smitten all through elementary and middle school, and in high school, he'd finally worked up the courage to ask her out their freshman year.

Allura smiled as the fond memories played out across her mind. They'd been close. He was the first one she wanted to tell about anything exciting that happened to her. He was the one she went to when she was emotionally wounded, when no one else could get close to her. And he was the one who'd joined the Marines and broken her heart. Sighing, she glanced up as a streak of lightning heralded the approaching storm. _That was a fun trip down memory lane_, she thought as she got back into the Mustang and drove toward the hotel.

By the time she got back to the hotel, the storm had hit the coast, and rain pounded down as she ran from the car to the lobby. Shaking her head to clear the rain from her hair, she heard a chuckle from somewhere to her right and slowly glanced over. A tall dark-haired man stood there, a smirk on his face, his blue eyes twinkling. Allura stood still for a second and then launched herself at him.

"Sven!" She hugged him hard, his strong arms crushing her against his solid chest. "How are you? What are you doing here?" she asked, stepping back out of his arms and looking up at him.

"Same thing you are, AC," he told her. "I was here to see Hawkins."

"Oh." The reality of her own meeting with the Commander sobered her happiness at seeing her old friend, and she tried hard to not look depressed. But Sven Holgersson was adept at deciphering other people's emotions, and he reached out, tipping her chin up.

"What'd he say to you?" he asked. His voice was quiet, but there was an underpinning of anger in it as well. "He turned you down, didn't he?" He swore then, softly, beneath his breath. "You need to talk to him again, Allura."

"And say what? He turned me down flat, Sven. There's nothing I can do. I practically begged him to take me on," she said. Bitterness had crept into her voice, and she hated it. Hated that she couldn't hide her emotions better. She'd gotten good at it over the last ten years; she'd learned that emotions did her no good when dealing with her male counterparts.

Sven's blue eyes were flinty. "Don't give up. You need this. You're a good pilot, one of the best."

She had to smile at that. "How would you know? You're not in the Air Force."

He held her gaze. "No, but I was on the ground, calling you and yours in for support. You saved me and mine a few times on the field, AC. I won't forget that." His voice was kind without being soft.

"Thanks, but I don't see it happening. Before I screwed up? Definitely. Now, with that on my record? Nope." She may as well admit defeat here and now.

"Come on. Let's get out of here, get some food and drinks," he suggested. It wasn't really a suggestion at all.

"Sure, why not?" She'd had a hard day, and Sven was good company.

"Besides, I owe you for those times you saved us," Sven added as they headed back outside. The storm was upon them now, and lightning split the hot sky apart with electric clarity.

"You don't owe me anything." She waited for him to open his truck's door and climbed in, immediately relaxing into the leather seat. She watched him go around the front of the truck, tall and dark and full of grace, and realized she'd really missed her old friend. He'd been in the same grade as she and Keith, and they'd been tight, the three of them. But that had ended after high school; they'd all had separate paths, though they all ended up in the US military. Sven had always been passionate about the Army, and had become a Ranger. The intensity of that profession suited him like nothing else ever had, and she had been a bit surprised to find out he'd come to see Hawkins.

He got in the driver side and turned to look at her. "I owe you a lot. Now, where to?"

She gave him the name of a place she'd seen out by the ocean, and he pulled out onto the road. Her mind started wandering, and of course, it wandered back to the one person she didn't want to think about. Keith had looked good in his Marines uniform, dark and tall and imposing, and she wondered if he'd even noticed her. He certainly hadn't seemed to, and she felt flutters of disappointment in her stomach. _Why would he notice me? Why would he care? And I'm sure he's heard about my last combat mission…_A shudder went through her, and she squeezed her hands together in her lap.

"You okay?" Sven asked, glancing at her.

"Yeah." She knew he didn't believe her, but he wouldn't press the issue, either. Rain splashed down on the windshield and a strong wind rocked the big Chevy.

"Heard Keith was applying for Hawkins' team," Sven said, his tone casual.

"You heard right. I saw him as I was leaving." She kept her eyes turned to the windshield.

"Really." He reached over and turned the radio down. "Did you two talk?"

"No." What could they have said?

He was quiet then, and she realized she didn't want to talk, anyway. There was nothing that he could say to make things better than they were. She was sure Keith, and Sven, would make the exploration team. They were both the best at what they did; Keith as a Marine sniper, and Sven as an Army Ranger demolitions expert, and those were the kind of people Hawkins wanted going into space to find whatever it was he was looking for. He didn't want pilots who might fall apart out there in space and risk the lives of the entire team.

No, contact with Keith wasn't a good idea. It was better that he would make the team, and she wouldn't. She could accept her fate, get out of the Air Force (because let's face, they were _never_ letting her fly again), and move on with her life. She didn't know what a civilian life would look like, but she could do it. Sven pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and she undid her seatbelt, preparing to open her door.

Her cell phone chimed, and she gave it a cursory glance, almost dropping it in amazement and trepidation.

_Was nice seeing you today, _the text read, and it was from Lieutenant Colonel Keith Kogane, United States Marine Corps.


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own Voltron or its characters. The plot is mine.

Someone commented on Keith's surname; I got it from the Devil's Due run of comics, along with Jeff's name, too. Thank you for all the reviews so far. This story is going to be harder-edged than my past Voltron stories, and there will be dark times, for all the characters. If you're looking for fluff, you're in the wrong place.

CALL OF THE LIONS

CHAPTER TWO:

Thunder rumbled overhead as Lieutenant Keith Kogane left the operations building where he'd had a meeting with Garrison Commander James Hawkins. The meeting hadn't lasted long, but Keith had other business to attend to in the building, and the storm had hit the coast by the time he'd been able to leave. He climbed into his dark red Jeep Commander and drove away from the building, his mind on the meeting he'd had with Hawkins.

The meeting had gone well; Hawkins knew Keith's service record, and that was the reason he'd requested Keith come meet with him. Someone with as many awards as Keith wasn't going to escape the Commander's attention, and Keith had jumped at the chance to try something new. He loved the Marines; two of his uncles had also been Marines, and he'd grown up listening to their colorful stories as a child and teenager. But he felt he'd achieved everything he could in the US military, and the space exploration team sounded challenging. He'd told Hawkins yes, and the Commander had been happy to welcome him to the team. It had been hard to focus, though, on what was actually being said, because his mind kept trying to replay that instant when he'd looked up and seen Allura coming out of Hawkins' office.

She'd looked angry, her crystal blue eyes sparkling with temper. But it was the shadow of pain in those blue depths that'd sucker-punched him. She'd been turned down for the exploration team. That much he'd been able to tell from her expression, and he'd wished he could say something to her. But they hadn't spoken in nearly ten years, and he'd had his own meeting to attend. Still, his heart broke for her. He knew about the last combat mission she'd flown – everyone had heard about it. He'd heard it had been her fault too, but even so, she hadn't deserved the way everyone had treated her.

_Stupid flyboys_, he thought, his dark eyes narrowing in disgust. It hadn't been a good situation (but then combat rarely had good situations) to begin with, and she'd done her best to get everyone home that night. He knew the Air Force had done what they'd thought best – grounding her indefinitely. And though it might've been the best decision they could make at that moment, he knew it had broken Allura's heart. All she'd ever wanted was to be a fighter pilot, and she'd been one of the very best in the world.

He stopped at a red light and contemplated calling her. She probably figured he'd just ignored her earlier, and he had, but only because to stop and talk to her, to have to look into her eyes, would've wrecked him for his meeting with Hawkins. _But if I call her, will she even take it? _He rubbed a hand over his face and then stepped on the accelerator, as the cars honking behind him indicated the light had gone green.

It was probably best if they continued on their separate paths. He went left at the next light and headed for the out-of-the-way restaurant he'd found the night before. Pulling into the parking lot, he saw his friend's Land Rover and parked next to it. Getting out, he sprinted to the restaurant's doors and walked in. Jeff Dukane was waiting for him, one eye on the door and one eye on the comely young waitress taking names for reservations.

"About time," Jeff said. "Come on. It's busy, but I got us in."

"Big surprise," Keith muttered as he followed Jeff toward a back booth. Jeff used his dark good looks and big flashing blue eyes to get whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it. An exceptional Marine, who didn't let anything get in between him and his mission, Jeff was also a big softie.

"So, did you get on?" Jeff asked once the waitress had seated them and left them with menus.

Keith set his down. "Yeah."

"And?"

"And what?"

"Anyone else you know get on?"

Keith took a sip of his water and eyed his friend over the rim. "You want to know something, just ask it outright," he said.

Jeff grinned then. "Any women on the team?"

Keith's mind flashed to the vision of Allura coming out of Hawkins' office, looking like her best friend had just died. "Not that I know of," he said.

"Too bad." Jeff seemed to be seriously perusing his menu, and Keith sighed and picked his up again. He'd been hungry when he'd left the Garrison building, but his appetite had disappeared. "I heard Allura Castle was in town." Jeff glanced at him over his menu. "Guess she probably wants to get on that exploration team."

Keith remained silent. He didn't want to talk about Allura right then. In fact, it would be best for his health if he never talked about her ever again. He studiously avoided looking at Jeff, hoping his friend would just drop it.

"Did you see her?"

Keith took another drink of his water.

Jeff grinned. "You did, didn't you? Did you talk to her?"

"No."

"Why not? A hot woman like that, knows how to fly—"

"Shut it, Dukane," Keith growled.

Jeff's grin got wider. "Never shoulda told me about you and her, man. Why didn't you talk to her?" Keith stared at him, and suddenly the amusement on Jeff's face changed to realization and disappointment. "She didn't make it huh? Because of that mission." It wasn't even a question.

And Keith wished it was. He wished Hawkins would see past Allura's last mission and go on the fact that she was an amazing pilot. Her squadron, and her specifically, had saved him and his men on two separate missions. She probably didn't know that, only knew she was rescuing some stupid Marines who'd gotten themselves boxed in by the enemy on one side and insurgents on the other.

"Ah man, I'm sorry. Would've been cool if you two could reconnect." Jeff looked ready to say something else, but their waitress reappeared with two coffees and a big smile. He immediately gave her all of his attention, and Keith breathed a sigh of quiet relief.

Yes, it would've been nice to be on a team with Allura, but to be honest, he wasn't sure he could handle it. He still dreamed about her. How could he expect to be the best Marine he could be if he was thinking about the beautiful blonde pilot all the time?

"You could call her. Or text her," Jeff suggested. He took a sip of his coffee, his blue eyes fixed on Keith. "Sounds like you were really in love with her. Shouldn't let that get away from you."

"It was in high school, Jeff. Long time ago." Keith gave the waitress his order and leaned back in the booth, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Yeah, ten years. So what? Unless something happened between you two." Jeff leaned toward him. "Did it?"

"You're a giant pain in the—" Keith's words were cut short by the sharp ring of his phone. He pulled it out and glanced at it before shoving it back into his pocket.

"You were saying?" Jeff asked, grinning.

"Shut it." Keith gave a mighty internal sigh. He knew he should've taken his father's call, but just wasn't in the mood to talk to him at the moment.

"So, _did_ something happen to make Allura mad at you?" Jeff prodded.

Keith sighed out loud this time. "No, not really. I wanted to be a Marine, she wanted to be a fighter pilot, and her grandfather had been in the Air Force. So, naturally, that's where she wanted to go, too."

Jeff gave a solemn nod. "Gotcha. Well, you could still get in touch with her."

Keith nodded, not sure he agreed. He knew from having hung around Jeff for so long that his friend was a romantic at heart, tough-as-steel on the outside. Of course he wanted Keith to be happy. And, Allura had made him happy ten years ago. In fact, for pretty much his whole life, ever since the day he'd protected her from that playground bully. But he'd be leaving soon on this new exploration mission, and it wasn't fair to her to start getting friendly again and then leave. Yet he was still drawn to her. He'd wanted, badly, to say something to her, anything, back at Hawkins' office.

"It's obvious you still like her," Jeff said. He was about to say more, but their waitress arrived to take their orders. After they'd ordered, Jeff sat back in the corner of the booth and looked at him.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just wondering, since you're not going to talk to her anytime soon, if she'd like to meet another Marine."

Keith's eyes darkened and narrowed. He leaned across the table toward Jeff. "Not a chance in hell, Dukane."

Jeff grinned. "Go on and talk to her. Text her. That's harmless, right?"

Tired of putting up with Jeff, and knowing he might just hit on Allura himself, Keith pulled out his cell phone and began texting. _Was nice seeing you today._ "There, happy?" He held up the phone so Jeff could see it.

"Impressive, Kogane."

"Shut up." But he couldn't help a small smile from playing at the corners of his mouth, which just made Jeff laugh. _Will she text me back?_

He didn't have long to wait. _It was nice to see you, too,_ Allura's message read. He smiled to himself. Even this little bit of contact was nice.

"See? You need to meet up with her."

"Why don't you worry about your own love life?" Keith snapped.

Jeff held up a sticky note with a number on it and smiled. "I am."

Keith set his phone down and closed his eyes. He wasn't going to let Jeff bait him anymore than he already had. _I probably shouldn't have texted her. I'll be leaving soon, and she didn't make the team. I'll be leaving her behind again._ A thought occurred to him, a really dangerous thought. _What if I talk to Hawkins about Allura? Maybe say I don't want another pilot on the mission._ But he knew that would blow up in his face. Hawkins was a hard-nose, and if Keith pushed too much, he'd just get rid of him and find another guy. It wasn't like there weren't other Marines and Army guys out there. And many of them were as skilled as he was with a sniper rifle. _Well, maybe not. But he won't listen to me. I know he won't._

"Well, you gonna text her back?"

Keith sighed again. "No."

"Why the hell not?" Now there was an edge to Jeff's voice.

"Why do you care?"

Jeff didn't answer, just focused his attention on his own phone. Keith tilted his head back and looked out the window at the pouring rain and flashing lightning. The waitress arrived with their burgers and they began eating, each one quiet, which was the way Keith liked it. The bell over the doors chimed and he glanced that way, and promptly choked on the bite he'd just taken.

"You okay?" Jeff asked, leaning over the table toward him, worry in his blue eyes. Keith waved him off while managing to get the bite down the right pipe, his eyes locked on the two people who'd just walked in. Jeff gave a look and chuckled. "Let me guess."

But Keith wasn't paying any attention to him; he was completely, utterly, compelled to watch the beautiful blonde who'd just walked in with a tall dark-haired guy who looked familiar…_Sven. _It'd been since high school graduation that they'd last seen each other, and his friend looked good. Hardcore Army Ranger, which was exactly what he was. It didn't take long, though, for his eyes to go back to Allura, who was suddenly staring back at him, her face paling, her own eyes wide with surprise.

"Go talk to her," Jeff encouraged.

Sven had noticed them too, and with a big grin on his face, was leading a seemingly-reluctant Allura toward them. Keith felt his mouth drying up. What was he going to say to her? What could be said, after ten long years?

"Hey." Sven stopped by their table and put out his hand to Keith. "Long time no see, man."

Keith shook his hand, Sven's grip as strong as his was. "Good to see you, Sven," he said. His eyes darted past Sven to Allura. "You too, Ally."

"Keith." Allura nodded to him, but didn't make eye contact. Keith frowned.

"I'm Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Dukane," Jeff said, holding out his hand to Allura. She smiled at him and shook it.

"Major Allura Castle," she said. Her voice was low and still sweet-sounding, just like Keith remembered.

Jeff flashed the famous Dukane smile. "I know who you are, sweetheart." When Allura's eyes widened, and Sven was about to round on him, Jeff added, "You're the best damn fighter pilot the Air Force has. Everyone knows that."

Allura blushed, and Keith wanted to punch Jeff. How was it his friend could talk to her, _hit on her_, and yet he couldn't manage to say anything? _He_ was the one with the history with her, the one who'd held her during scary movies, the one who'd protected her all those years ago on the playground.

"Thank you for saying that," Allura said to Jeff. "But somehow I don't think the Air Force still holds me in that high esteem." Shadows passed through her blue eyes when she said this, and Keith's heart thudded with echoing pain for her.

"You did the best you could that night," he said. She gave him a half-hearted smile, which was encouraging. Maybe he would be able to reconnect with her, after all.

"Thank you for saying that," she said. She moved a half-step closer to Sven, and he immediately reached for her right hand, taking it and giving it a squeeze.

Jealousy spiked all through Keith, and it took him by surprise. It wasn't like he had any claim whatsoever on Allura, not anymore, at least. He wondered if she was seeing Sven, and decided it didn't matter. It wasn't like he was going to try and hook up with her, anyway. He'd be leaving soon.

"Eat with us," Jeff said. He glanced at Keith, and Keith knew his friend could read his tension.

"Not tonight," Sven said. "Just came over to say hello." He shook Keith's hand again. "Was nice seeing you."

"You, too." Keith watched them walk away, and jumped when Jeff smacked the table with his palm. "What?"

"Go after her," Jeff commanded. There was a cold light in his blue eyes that unnerved Keith just a little.

"And say what?"

"That you want to go out."

"I'm leaving for space soon."

Jeff gave a disgusted snort. "You know what? Good. I'll ask her out myself."

A whip of anger cracked through Keith. "You wouldn't dare," he said. He picked up his burger and took a ravenous bite out of it. Jeff smirked at him.

"No? You wanna lay money on that, Kogane?"

"Just shut up and eat."

Jeff chuckled and sat back against the seat, seemingly content for now to just eat and be quiet. Keith found his own thoughts wandering to Allura and Sven, and again jealousy flared in his chest. It wasn't a good feeling. _I have no reason to be jealous._ Even if they were dating, it wasn't like he had any right to feel jealous. He hadn't talked to her in ten years. Their military careers had taken them in different directions, even though they'd both ended up in war zones. And it wasn't like she'd ever tried to contact him, either. Maybe she was happy with the way things had turned out between them. _I can be good with it, too. I have been good with it, until today._

"If you're not going to ask her out, quit moping," Jeff said a few moments later. He had already demolished his burger and was chewing the last of his fries.

"Anyone ever tell you what a pain you are?" Keith asked, surly.

Jeff nodded, looking serious. "Yeah, all the time. Funny thing, though – I'm almost always right." He paused, then added, "You're a bad-ass Marine. Don't let that Army puke have her all to himself."

"Yeah, yeah." For being a big, bad-ass Marine, Keith wasn't feeling all that big and bad right then. He actually felt pretty pathetic, since he couldn't bring himself to go over and talk to Allura again. He saw her sitting with Sven. They were both laughing, and Keith ached to hear her laughter. But he wasn't about to go over there and make a fool out of himself. That was definitely something a big, bad Marine didn't do.

Jeff's phone rang, and he glanced at it, did a double-take, indicated he was taking the call outside, and got up from the booth. Keith watched him go, a sense of foreboding washing over him. For all of his ribbing and teasing, Jeff Dukane was the guy you wanted at your back in a fight. A hard-core Marine all the way to his soul, it was unsettling to have seen that flash of momentary panic in his eyes, panic that Keith knew had to do with whoever was on the other end of the phone.

Two minutes later, Jeff was back, sliding into the booth and taking a drink of his Coke. He looked at Keith. "That was my mom. My younger sister, Madison, is in the Alliance Intelligence Command. She's been stationed out on the Xerces base for the last two years, getting intel on the rebel planets out there." Jeff paused, took another drink. "Mom got a call fifteen minutes ago that Madi's been injured in a base attack." His voice was low and strained. "Don't know how badly hurt she is, though. Won't know for a while, they told Mom."

"Man, I'm sorry," Keith said. His voice was quiet, deep with empathy. Family meant everything to Jeff; Keith wasn't sure how that felt. His own family was broken, had been for years, fractured when his mother had been killed in a climbing accident in Colorado. But he had a younger brother, Brian, who was in the Galaxy Medical Corps, and currently stationed out on the Tetrarch base on planet Jeraap, where a series of battles were being fought by the Galaxy Alliance and the planet's rebels, who wanted the Alliance off their soil. Brian had been sent there six months ago, and Keith had only heard from him twice. He was proud of his brother, who had overcome a series of childhood illnesses to become the strong young man he was today, fighting to save the lives of the soldiers wounded in the desperate battles for planet supremacy.

He couldn't imagine if something ever happened to his little brother.

"I gotta go. I'll catch up with you tomorrow," Jeff said. He pulled his wallet out, but Keith waved him off.

"Go. I got this," Keith told him.

"You sure?"

"Definitely. Let me know when you hear more about Madi."

Jeff nodded. "You bet. Thanks." He got up and left, and Keith sighed. It was hard having family in the military, especially when they were your younger siblings, and you couldn't be there to watch out for them. He'd never met Madi, but had seen pictures of her. She was tall, with honey-blonde hair and big hazel eyes, and a sweet smile. Keith couldn't imagine what Jeff was going through. Jeff was very protective of anyone he considered family or friend, and it had to be killing him not knowing how his sister was faring.

Keith pulled money out of his wallet for the tip and set it down on the table. The waitress brought his bill, not asking about Jeff's sudden disappearance, which was for the best. He took the bill to the register and paid. _You could give Allura once last look_, his conscious said. But instead, he squared his shoulders and strode out into the pouring rain. This was for the best. He had a new mission, and he didn't need anyone holding him back.


	3. Chapter 3

WEP owns Voltron - I do not. I'm just having some fun.

Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed, favorited and followed. I really appreciate it, and hope you continue to like the path this story is taking.

CALL OF THE LIONS

CHAPTER THREE:

Allura watched Keith leave soon after his friend, and something cold wound itself around her heart. If she'd thought there could be any chance at all of them reconnecting, it had died. He hadn't even bothered to come say goodbye to her. She picked at her pasta salad, trying not to let it get to her. _What did you expect? Him to fall all over you? For all you know, he's seeing someone now._ The thought was a sharp thorn in her heart.

"Hey." Sven reached across the table and tapped her hand. She looked up at him, seeing his concern. "Don't worry about him. If he's not smart enough to come say goodbye to you, then to hell with him." His tone was borderline steel.

Allura sighed. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm here with you, not him." She pasted a smile on her pretty face. "Okay. So, do you think you'll make the exploration team?"

"Don't be sorry. Just don't dwell on him." Sven took a drink of his beer. "Yeah, I do. He didn't tell me for sure, but I know I'm exactly what he's looking for." He paused, eyed her with speculation. "You're exactly what he's looking for, too. You need to talk to him again."

"And say what? That he made a mistake? Yeah, I see that happening," she said. Her tone was dark with sarcasm and some anger.

"Look, you won't know until you try. You don't want a civilian life, AC. I know you don't." Sven's tone was hard. "Go talk to him again tomorrow." He waved to their waitress for the check, and when she brought it over, he waved off Allura's attempt to take money out of her purse. "No, I got this."

"Sven." Allura tried to open her purse, but he kept his hand over it.

"Repay me by going to see Hawkins tomorrow." He kept his blue eyes locked on hers. "I want you on the team with me."

She smiled at that. It was nice to be wanted by someone, and she knew he honestly meant it. "I'll see what I can do," she told him.

"Good. Come on." He led the way up to the front of the restaurant to pay, and then held the door open for her on the way out. It was still storming, and he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in tight to his side, trying to keep the rain off her.

Allura wasn't sure at first how to respond, but gave in and snuggled in close to him. He was tall and warm and definitely solid, and there was no reason she shouldn't want to be closer to him. He winked at her, and she smiled back. This was infinitely nicer than spending the evening alone, which she'd been planning to do. Once they were in the truck, he turned to her.

"So, where to?" His tone was light and casual, but there was a glint in his eyes that wasn't casual at all.

Allura swallowed. She suddenly realized that if she wanted him, he would probably stay with her tonight. And that sounded good, really good. She'd always thought he was hot; there was definitely attraction between them. But she knew she couldn't. Her heart had just been stepped on by the one guy she'd always wanted and wasn't sure she'd ever have again, and while Sven would be a super nice distraction, she wasn't going to do that to her old friend.

"I'm guessing you're thinking too hard," Sven said. His tone was a bit darker now. "I'm not looking for anything serious, Allura."

"I know." She met his eyes. "But you and I are friends, Sven, and I'm not going to jeopardize that." He groaned at the word "friends," and she added, "I'm pretty broken right now, anyway. You can do better than me."

"Broken or not, you're better than any other woman I've ever met." His tone was serious. "But I get it." He paused, looked away from her. "And seeing Keith shook you."

"It did," she admitted. "I don't know why. We both knew it was over when we graduated. We knew we were going in separate directions." It didn't ease the pain of seeing him again, though. If anything, it had ignited a burning desire to be with him.

Sven rubbed at his eyes before turning to her. The intensity in his gaze made her blush. "You know if you get Hawkins to take you, you two will be together, right? That should be incentive for you to try again."

She nodded, biting her lip. Yes, she knew that. Keith would undoubtedly be put on the team. Hawkins would be stupid not to take him, just like he'd be stupid to not take Sven. "You'd be on the team, too. We'd be together again."

"Yeah." He nodded. "Truth is, AC, it'd be easier on me if you didn't get on that team." He lifted his right hand, like he was about to touch her, but let it drop. "I know we're friends, good friends. But I've gotta admit, if you wanted me, you'd have me." His hard honesty spoken in a soft voice was nearly enough to persuade her to give in to him. What could one night hurt?

"I know." She wanted to touch his arm, but knew that touching each other right now wouldn't be a good thing. "But that wouldn't be fair to you, or to me. I'm still hung up on Keith, and I'm not good enough for you." She smiled as she said it, trying to lessen the sting of rejection.

He sighed and started up his truck. "So I guess I'm dropping you off at your hotel, and going out looking for company tonight."

"You could stay and watch a movie or something," she offered.

He glanced at her. "If I stay, we're not watching a movie."

She blushed fiercely, and he suddenly laughed. "Are you just teasing me?" she asked, all at once feeling foolish for believing he was interested in her.

"Honey, if I thought for one second you'd let me sleep over tonight, I would," he told her, his rich voice warm. "But we both know that wouldn't be for the best, and I know you want Keith."

"I do," she admitted, sighing. "But it's not going to happen. You saw how he acted tonight, and then he didn't even bother coming over to say goodbye. He's not interested." She hated how empty that made her feel. She shouldn't feel like that.

"Well, if you find out he's not for sure…" He smiled and pointed at himself. "Just know that I'm up for a good time with you, anytime."

She swatted his arm, feeling it was safe now for physical contact, and laughed. "Okay, yes, I'll remember that." It was nice to be able to joke with him, even if there was still a hum of attraction between them. She supposed there always had been, but back in high school, Keith was the only guy she could ever see in focus. _And where did that get me? Nowhere. _ Not that she'd been constantly looking for companionship. Getting into the flying program in the Air Force had been her one and only priority once she'd graduated high school, and she hadn't looked back since.

Lightning split the sky just in front of them, and Sven frowned, reaching over to turn up the radio. The DJ was giving the weather report, and it didn't sound promising. The storm was only supposed to intensify overnight, and the DJ warned that a possible hurricane was developing out over the ocean. Allura exchanged a worried look with Sven. A hurricane brewing was bad news for everyone who lived on the coast. She'd never been caught in one, but had, like everyone else, seen the horrible aftermath of them.

"Maybe I'd better hang at your hotel tonight," Sven said. "Just to make sure you're safe."

She nodded. "Thank you." She was a tough girl; the Air Force hadn't shed any empathy on her during her training, and she could handle herself quite nicely if she needed to. But in light of a possible havoc-wreaking storm, she'd take his protection and not feel a bit bad about it.

They pulled into the hotel parking lot and she jumped when lightning lit up the ground not far from them. Sven put a reassuring hand on hers, giving it a squeeze. "Better get inside. Stay there, I'll come around and get you," he said before braving the rain and wind. He ran around the front of the truck and opened her door; Allura slid out and beneath the sheltering arm he offered her. Together they sprinted for the cover of the hotel. Above them thunder banged the sky.

Sven shook the water from his head while following Allura up the stairs. By mutual silent consent, they'd decided the elevators would be risky in this weather. Once inside her room, he switched on the TV and found the local news station. Allura took her phone out of her purse so she could charge it, and saw she had two next texts from Lance. She decided to check them later; she figured he was just telling her to go back and talk to Hawkins, and she'd already decided that she would tomorrow. After all, what could it hurt?

The thunder continued to rumble overhead, and the lights in the room sputtered a few times before going out. The TV went dark, and Allura shivered. A few moments later the lights and TV were back on, and she sat down on the bed next to Sven, who was watching the news intently. "Bad night to be out on the roads," he said, glancing at her. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "I'm glad you stayed."

"Me too." He pulled his cell out of his pocket when it went off, and said, "I gotta take this." He left the room, shutting the door behind him, and she wondered if it was Hawkins, calling to say he wanted Sven on the exploration team.

Her own phone made noise, so she grabbed it. Another text from Lance. Deciding she couldn't keep putting him off, she checked them. They were increasingly agitated, and she wondered what was going on with him. Deciding to call, she waited for him to pick up.

"About damn time," he said. "Where were you?"

"Out," she told him. "What's up?"

"I called in some favors. But hey, guess what? No one is willing to go to bat for you. Everyone said Hawkins is right for rejecting you." Lance's voice was hot and dark.

She sighed. "I told you to leave it alone, Rocks. You're going to get yourself in trouble."

"I don't care about that. I'm always in trouble for something." He paused, and when he next spoke, his voice was softer. "Look, I'm sorry. I don't know what else I can do for you."

"I never asked you to do anything," she reminded him gently. "It's okay. I'll find a flying job in the civilian world."

"Really?" Lance sounded highly doubtful. "You know whoever you put an app in with will check your service record. They're going to see what happened."

"What do you want me to say?" She huffed out an impatient breath. "I'm going to see Hawkins myself, one more time, tomorrow. Maybe he'll change his mind."

"Good for you." There was a pause, and Allura suddenly felt tense, but didn't know why. "Look AC, the real reason I'm calling is Hawkins called me in tonight."

"What? I didn't know you were here. I thought you were in Virginia." The tenseness curled in her stomach.

"Yeah, I was, until this morning. I had orders to fly out here, but was told not to say anything to anyone," Lance said. There was wariness in his voice now.

"He wants you to be the pilot." Her voice was flat. "He couldn't have picked a better one, Rocks."

"I told him no."

"Are you insane? This would be amazing for your career!" she told him, stunned. "You have to take the job."

"I told him he needs you on that team. You're the very best pilot the US has, Allura, in any branch of service. Hell, I've personally seen you fly circles around guys who flew with the Blue Angels! You _need_ this job, a lot more than I do." His voice was low and warm.

"Well, I'm sure he turned that idea down flat." She lay back on the enormous bed, and stared up at the beige ceiling.

"Actually…I kind of talked him into taking you as my copilot." Lance was grinning, she could tell.

"What? Lance, that's…that's amazing! I can't believe he agreed to that," she said, sitting up and grinning. "How in the world did you manage that?"

"Simple. I told him I wouldn't go unless I had you. Apparently, my service record is just impressive enough that he finally agreed," he told her. "We've got a meeting with him at 0800 tomorrow. Don't be late."

"I won't be." She paused, letting her heartbeats settle. "Thank you, Rocks. I'll never be able to repay you for this."

"Ah, forget it. I'm sure I owe you for something."

"Well, there was that time with the goat and the—"

"Shush. We agreed never to talk about that," he warned, laughing. "Get some rest, AC. I'll see ya in the AM, at Hawkins' office." He ended the call, and she set her phone down on the bed, feeling all at once elated and scared and wonderful.

The door opened and Sven came walking in. He stopped when he saw her, a puzzled look on his face. "You weren't that happy-looking five minutes ago," he told her, puzzled.

"No, I wasn't. But a very good friend of mine just called, and said he managed to get Hawkins to take me on," she said, grinning.

"That's great!" Sven took three long strides, lifted her off the bed, and twirled her around in his arms. "I just got a call from Hawkins. I'm in!"

"We'll be together!" she said, dizzy and laughing when he finally set her down. Overhead the storm still roared, but she didn't mind it nearly so much now. "I'll actually be copilot, but I'm just glad to be on the team."

"Copilot, huh? This pilot Hawkins got must be incredible," Sven said. He sat down on the bed and pulled her down beside him.

"He is. He's an amazing pilot. Reckless, daredevil, and one of the very best in the Air Force," she told him, nodding. "I can't believe he actually got Hawkins to agree."

"How did he do it?"

"He told Hawkins he wouldn't take the job unless I was allowed on the team as copilot," she said. "A big gamble, but it worked." She sighed dreamily. "Now I won't have to worry about civilian life."

"And you'll be with Keith," he reminded her. He frowned when she sighed. "That's what you want, isn't it? Try to reconnect with him?"

"It is, but I don't think he wants that. And I'm not about to go throwing myself at him like an idiot, either," she said. She got up and went to the mini fridge. "Want anything?"

"Whatever you've got," he said. He waited until she sat back down beside him with two bottled waters. "So if you're not going to try getting back with him, why not date someone else?"

"The someone else being you?" she asked, smiling up at him. He grinned, but shook his head.

"No, I don't think that would be a good idea, sweetheart. We'd be too hot for everyone else on the team to handle," he teased. But his eyes darkened, and he grew serious. "You deserve someone, Allura, that will take care of you, cherish you. You've always deserved that. I'm not that kind of guy, and I think we both know it."

"Oh stop it. You're a great guy, Sven. I have a lot of friends who would love to hook up with you," she told him. But she knew they would never last. She'd watched friends of hers in high school hook up with him at a bonfire after a football or baseball game, watched how fast and furious their relationship burned, until it burned itself down into lonely ash. She knew he was right. She wasn't made for that kind of relationship. She leaned her head on his shoulder.

"You're the forever type of girl, AC. When you finally meet the right guy, that's how long it's going to last," he said softly. He put his arm around her, and added, "At least you'll have me on the team, so even if Keith never realizes what he's missing, we can cuddle and keep each other warm." He gave her a squeeze as she giggled.

"I'm glad I'll have you. I'll have Lance, too, although that can be both a blessing and curse," she told him.

"So who is he?"

"He's Air Force, like me. Best pilot I've ever flown with. He was the only pilot to stand with me after what happened," she said. She spoke in a whisper-quiet voice, not wanting to lend volume to what had happened that night.

"I don't think you ever told me what really happened," Sven said, and dropped his arm from around her so he could move to see her face. "I mean, you don't have to, but sometimes the more you talk about it, the less the pain is."

"Speaking from experience?" she asked softly. Her eyes were quiet and understanding.

He nodded, slowly. "Yeah. Last year, my guys and I walked into an ambush. Area was supposed to be clear, wasn't, and I lost two of my men," he told her. His voice was deep with regret and pain. "I put off talking to anyone about it. You know, big tough Army guy, I shouldn't need to talk to anyone. But," he sighed, "I kept seeing them in my sleep. It was a mine – they never had a chance. That's how I got this." He showed her a scar on his temple. "Talking helped. I still have the nightmare, but it's easier to wake up from now."

"I had to have counseling. My CO ordered it. But it was hard talking to a guy who acted like it was my fault. Which it was," she hurried to add, shaking her head when Sven started to protest. "No, it was. I accept that. I led my flight over those missiles on-purpose."

"So what happened?" Sven took her hand, holding it gently in both of his.

"We had Marines on the ground, moving in on the enemy border. My flight was supposed to provide air cover and do some recon if at all possible. The Air Force sent in a flight of Wild Weasels an hour ahead of us to take out the flak guns and SAM sites, but they didn't get all of them." She looked down at her hand entwined in his, and he quickly squeezed her hand, encouraging her. "There was a site further to the north, camouflaged too well for our intel to see. I brought my flight in, and one of my guys picked up the SAMs. I knew we should get out of the area, but the Marines were under heavy fire, and I just couldn't leave them." She took a deep shaky breath. "I took my flight in, knowing we were going to get into trouble. They launched all the SAMs, and two of my guys got shot down. They were new, and just didn't have to touch to shake the missiles off. When we got back to base, I was immediately grounded and taken into custody. I figured I'd get court-martialed, but we ended up saving the Marines, so the powers that be decided to just ground me, indefinitely. I haven't been allowed to touch a jet since it happened. It's been a year."

Tears slipped down her face, and Sven gently wiped them away with his thumb. He pulled her into his arms and just held her, not offering any words but rather letting his actions soothe her. She was able to calm her tears quickly, having been through this many times before. It was nice being held like this, though – no one had held her like this since that night, when Lance had hauled her off her jet's ladder and into his arms, cradling her as she sagged with disbelief and then horror.

"Thank you," she whispered to him, pulling back a little. It was best not to snuggle too much with him.

"You're welcome," he said. He ran his hand over her blonde hair and gave it a little tug. "Sorry all that had to happen, but you saved those guys on the ground. You had to make a tough call on the go. I don't think anyone can really fault you for what you did. People die in combat, sweetheart. It's the way of the beast."

"I know it is. I wrote letters to the pilots' families, wishing I could do something more. I dream about them, sometimes. Sometimes all I see are their jets exploding." Her voice caught on the last couple of words, and immediately, Sven wrapped his arm around her again, hugging her.

"You can't change what happened, Allura. And given the circumstances that night, I think the Air Force was too hasty in grounding you. I'm sure other pilots would've made the same choice you did, given that you had orders to protect the Marines and they needed you to be there." He gave her a squeeze and let go.

"Thanks. I know, I replay that mission over and over in my head. I wouldn't have done it differently. I know that. The Marines would've been slaughtered if I had," she said. Lightning flashed through the window, there was a tremendous boom, and the lights and TV went off. She jumped, and felt Sven run his hand down her back.

"Storm's getting worse," he said softly.

"I'm glad you're with me," she told him. "Sometimes it's good not to be alone."

"It is," he quietly agreed. "You won't ever be alone as long I'm around, honey. I promise." The lights and TV blinked back on, and he grabbed the remote off the table. "Now, let's find something funny and raunchy to watch. Or just raunchy." He winked at her.

She batted his arm and sat back on the bed, content for the first time in a long time.


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Voltron or its associated characters.

Thank you to everyone who is reviewing; I know sometimes you might not think leaving a review is a big deal, but we who write know it is. Even if you disagree with the way a story is developing, as long as you are nice about it, is appreciated. I had one such review and wrote to that person, just so they know I'm not trying to disrespect Allura in this story. So if you have taken the time to read this chapter, please leave a review, even if it's not a long one. Thanks :-)

CALL OF THE LIONS

CHAPTER FOUR:

Keith stood in the outer office of Commander Hawkins, trying not to stare at Allura. He'd arrived fifteen minutes early for the exploration team's meeting with Hawkins, and had found himself the last person to arrive. Allura was standing with Sven and another man wearing an Air Force uniform; both men stared at him whenever he glanced their way. It was a little unnerving. The other two men in the room, one huge and one short and slender, stood off to themselves. The big man wore an Army uniform, while the short one wore the uniform of the Alliance Technical Command. Keith tried keeping his eyes forward so he wouldn't be tempted to look around, but the pretty blonde kept drawing his attention with her soft giggles. He wanted to know what she found so amusing.

The door opened to the inner office, and Hawkins gestured for them all to come in. Keith hung back and waited for Allura, Sven, and the other Air Force man to walk in, and then followed, leaving the other two to follow him. Hawkins sat down at his desk and eyed each of them, a cool glint in his eyes.

"You're all here because, to the best of mine and your respective services' knowledge, you're the best of the best. Top of the line." Hawkins paused, and his gaze landed on Allura. "And one of you is here because I was basically blackmailed." The petite blonde held his look, her chin lifted in defiance. "Be that as it may, let me make it very clear to you all: I will fire you if you don't get the job done. And not only that, I'll make sure you never work in your respective fields again, in the military or in the civilian world." His tone was cold and hard. "Nod if you understand me."

Keith nodded, feeling anger ripple through his system. Hawkins had no right to single out Allura like that, no matter what her situation was. He glanced at her. She looked so tough, her head held high, her uniform hugging every curve. Remembering how those curves felt, he looked away, focusing on Hawkins. He had to work with Allura. He couldn't start thinking about how things had been back in high school.

"You will each be briefed separately today on your job on the exploration team. Tomorrow you will have a team briefing. You will leave the day after that. Any problems, any questions, you will direct them to me, and me alone." Hawkins drilled each of them with an icy glare. "Is that understood."

A chorus of "Yes, Sir!" rang out around the small office. Keith sighed internally. He didn't know a lot about this mission, but he did wonder if Hawkins was being more theatrical about it than he needed to be.

"This mission is of the utmost importance to this country, and to the Galaxy Alliance. Failure will not be tolerated. If a team member is suspected of not doing their job to their utmost ability, you will report them to me," Hawkins said. His eyes lit on Allura again, and Keith's blood pressure shot up.

"We'll get the job done, Sir," Sven said. His voice was hard. Apparently he didn't like the way Hawkins was singling Allura out, either. Keith blew out a frustrated breath. He should've said something, not waited for one of the others to.

"You will, or you'll be fired." Hawkins picked up several folders off his desk. "Majors McClain and Castle will be pilot and copilot on the team, respectively. Major Holgersson will be in charge of weapons. Captain Garrett is in charge of everything mechanical, and Captain Stoker is the electronics wizard." Hawkins paused, let his eyes glide over to rest on Keith. "Lieutenant Colonel Kogane is mission commander."

Keith's heart pounded harder. He had never led a group in the Marines; his specialty was with a sniper rifle, and he often worked alone, covering his men. To be put in charge of this team, with such a highly-specialized mission, was a task he wasn't sure he wanted. But when his eyes inadvertently caught Allura's, she gave him a small, subtle smile, and suddenly, he knew it would be all right. He'd often been told he was a born leader by his superiors, and this was the time to prove it.

"Thank you, Sir," he said.

"No thanks, Lieutenant Colonel. You earned the position," Hawkins said. He pointed at the door. "Wait outside in the outer office; you will each be called in by my men for your mission briefings. Dismissed, except for Castle."

Keith hesitated by the door instead of following everyone else out, his eyes on Allura's back as she faced Hawkins. He wanted to say something, wanted to defend her. He wasn't sure how she'd managed to get on the team, what kind of blackmail had been involved, but he knew she deserved to be here. She really deserved to be lead pilot. But when Hawkins loudly cleared his throat, he ended up walking out and closing the door behind him. Sven and McClain were eying him, and he sensed McClain's wariness. Not a great way to start a team together. They would have to learn to trust him.

Two minutes later Allura left the office, and Keith turned to her. She didn't look at him; she walked past him to Sven and McClain, and they immediately formed a loose circle around her. Keith's dark eyes narrowed in annoyance. He walked over and sat down across the room from them. The secretary was watching him; he made sure not to look her way. There was no sense encouraging her. The other two men, Garrett and Stoker, were quietly talking together in their own little group.

_So this is how it's going to be, huh? I'm Commander, so no fraternizing with the crew? _That irked him, and he knew it shouldn't. It was proper for the team not to socialize with their leader. He knew that, but it was still bothersome to watch Allura with the other two men. He didn't like it at all. He pulled out his cell, and saw he had a text from Jeff. Frowning, he checked it.

_Madi is okay, not hurt bad. Keeping her at Xerces. Don't like it._ Jeff's worry was palpable even through the text, and Keith was about to text him back when a senior officer came to get him. He got up and left the office, wondering how much Allura had gotten yelled at. That Hawkins had been upset with her was certain.

"Please, sit," the officer said once they'd walked into his tiny office. Keith complied, feeling ill at ease. He was worried about Jeff, and worried about Allura.

The officer flipped open a folder and stared at the paper within for several seconds. When he finally looked up, his gaze on Keith was speculative. "What I'm about to share with you, Lieutenant Colonel Kogane, is of the utmost secrecy. You are to discuss it with no one who is not on your exploration team. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir." Keith nodded.

"We are sending your team to the Diamond Galaxy to find and bring back an old war relic, thought to be lost a hundred years ago in a terrible war. The technology used in this relic is beyond what most of our technicians have ever seen. We are anxious to recover it and break down the components so we can learn from them." The man stopped, rested one hand over the folder and the paper within. "We are sending you to Planet Arus. The war relic is believed to have crash-landed there after a battle that it lost."

"You keep calling it a 'war relic.' What is it really?" Keith asked. If he was being sent out to one of the Dark Galaxies, as they were called, he wanted to know exactly what he'd be dealing with.

The man took a deep breath. "This may sound ridiculous to you, but it is, in fact, real. The relic is a very large mecha, called 'Voltron' by its pilots and creators. It took five pilots, sitting in separate cockpits, to operate it. Each pilot was responsible for different weapon systems. We wish to bring the mecha back here and find out how it worked."

Keith knew that wasn't the only reason Hawkins wanted the mecha. The Alliance wanted the weapons as well, but they would never say it out loud. He nodded. "And when we find this _Voltron_," he couldn't help but say the name sarcastically, "we just tow it back to Earth?"

The man's eyes iced down. "Insolence about the mission will not be tolerated, Lieutenant Colonel. We can find someone else to take your position."

Keith doubted it, but gave a single nod. The man stared at him for a few seconds longer, and then dropped his gaze down to the folder.

"We are sincerely hoping your team will be able to resurrect Voltron and get it flying again. If this is possible, you will bring both your ship and the mecha back here. Since we have two pilots on the team now, this will be possible." He made the word "two" sound blasphemous, and anger surged through Keith. He held it down, though. This wasn't the time or place to get mad about how Allura was being treated.

"Your job, as mission commander, is to get it done. Find Voltron, get it flying, and get it back here. We don't care how you do this, or who you have to trample to do it. All that matters is Voltron itself. Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir." Crystal, yes. Keith had figured this mission wouldn't be easy, or they wouldn't have been looking for men like him or Sven. They needed hard-core military personnel who didn't take no for answer and who could get the job done no matter what the obstacles. He was built for this mission.

"Good. You are dismissed. Team meeting will be tomorrow, at 0800, in Hawkins' office."

Keith nodded and got up, glad to get out of the small office and away from the man's intense scrutiny. When he walked back into the outer office, he found Sven and McClain there, but no one else. He walked over to them. Sven gave him a quick smile and offered his hand.

"Good to have you on the team, Kogane," he said.

"You too, Holgersson." Keith held his hand out to McClain, but the pilot simply stared at it until Keith withdrew it. "McClain."

"Kogane." McClain looked at Sven. "I'm out of here. Tell AC I'll see her tonight."

"Will do." Sven watched the pilot go, and then turned to Keith." So, what do you think about our mission?"

Keith shrugged. "Find Voltron, bring it back. Doesn't sound complicated."

"Not easy, though." Sven sighed and rubbed a hand over the back of his head. "Diamond Galaxy. Rough place to be."

"Glad you're the weapons expert, then," Keith said with the hint of a smile.

Sven looked ready to say something, but Allura walked back into the office. Her face was downcast, and Keith could sense Sven immediately tensing. "AC, you okay?" Sven asked as she reached them.

_Does she look okay?_ Keith thought, but kept it to himself. He'd always been a quiet guy, not necessarily shy, just not overly-talkative, and the Marines had drilled it into him, as well. If your enemy could hear you, they could kill you. Hating that Allura looked so down, he smiled at her. She didn't return it.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she muttered, but she sure didn't look it, and Keith's heart wrenched. He already knew it was going to be hard to maintain a professional distance from her. He wanted to give her a hug, tell her things would be okay now that they were together again.

_Except we're not together, and I don't know if we can be again._ The thought was sobering, and he frowned, feeling a heaviness sink into his body. He knew it had been right to break up ten years ago, because they'd wanted to join different service branches, but he hadn't realized just how much he still missed her.

"No, you're not," Sven said. "What did he say to you?"

"Which one?"

"Both," Sven said.

She sighed. "Not here." She glanced around. "Lance left?"

"Yeah, he said he'd see you tonight," Sven told her. "Come on, let's get out of here." He led the way out of the office and the building, and Keith followed the two of them, determined to find out what had been said. Once they'd reached Sven's truck, Allura turned to both of them and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Hawkins told me if I so much as thought about screwing this mission up, he'd bury me in paperwork for the rest of my military career," she said. Her voice was bitter. "And then the other guy basically said the exact same thing." She blew out a frustrated breath. "As if I don't already know how much I screwed up that last mission. I don't need to be constantly reminded about it."

"You saved those Marines," Keith said. He spoke quietly. "I know men who were in that unit. They said the only reason they survived was because you came in hot and didn't back down from the SAMs." He was tense, and wanted to reassure her somehow that her actions had at least been seen as good to some.

She looked at him, those big blue eyes of hers widening a little, and said, "Thank you, Keith. I would still do the same thing, because I feel it was the _right_ thing to do. But that's hard to live with, when I know those pilots' families would do anything to have them back."

"Can't change the past, though," Sven said. "You have to keep moving forward."

"I know. And I'm grateful to Lance for getting me on this team, even if Hawkins thinks its blackmail." She smiled as she said this, though, and Keith felt himself relaxing a little.

"What exactly did he say to Hawkins?" Keith asked.

"He told Hawkins he wouldn't accept the pilot position unless he took me, too, and I guess Hawkins really wanted him, so…you know." She shrugged, as if it weren't a big deal, which Keith knew all too well it was. "Here I am." She looked at Sven. "You coming tonight, too?"

"Yeah," Sven said, nodding. "Sounds good. Did you want to see if Garrett and Stoker want to join us?"

She nodded, smiling. "I think it'd be a nice gesture, since we're all going to be stuck together for who knows how long."

Keith wondered what they were going to do that night, but felt he shouldn't ask. He was the mission commander, and protocol required him to separate himself from the crew during down times. He said, "It was good seeing you both again. I'm glad you're both on the team. I'll see you tomorrow." He turned to go, hoping like mad one of them would tell him to stay, but they both merely said good-bye and let him walk off. Feeling disgruntled and knowing he'd done it to himself, he walked across the street and got into his Jeep.

_Don't look back at her,_ he commanded himself as he pulled out into traffic. But he couldn't help one last look. He wished she'd told him to stay, had invited him to whatever they were planning that night. _But did you really think she would? It's not like we're on super-friendly terms or anything._ He swore under his breath. This was already getting too complicated, and they hadn't even spent any time in close quarters. He stopped for a red light and ran a hand over his face. It was hot in the Jeep, the air extremely humid. The storm from the night before had vanished in the early morning hours, the threat of a hurricane dying before it could get serious. He turned the air on full-blast and pointed the vents at himself. As he started the Jeep forward again, his cell chirped with a text message, and he quickly checked it, a smile blossoming across his face.

_Do you want to hang out with us tonight? We're having a bonfire down on the beach. Kind of a 'get to know each other' thing._

Keith started to text back, keeping one eye on the road, when another message came through.

_I'd really like you to come. _

He grinned now and texted Allura back, saying he would be happy to come. His heart feeling much lighter than it had in the last few days, he put the phone down and concentrated on driving back to his hotel. He wondered if he would get a chance to talk one-on-one with her. _Probably not, with all the other guys there._ Not that it should bother him, because he wasn't looking to start anything with her. He needed to stay professional. This wasn't about him getting reacquainted with her, it was about the fact they were embarking on a secret mission to bring back an old robot. It was just a team-building exercise.

But for the life of him, he couldn't convince his heart of that. Being so close to her today had shown him that he wasn't as over her as he'd always thought. He didn't particularly like how close she was with Sven, or even Lance. The protectiveness he felt over her was unexpected, but he found it pleasant. It'd been a while since a woman had invoked that kind of feeling in him. He suddenly realized where his mind was headed, and tried to head it off, but it happened anyway. _The last woman you felt like that toward was Bev._ He sighed. He'd successfully not thought of his ex-girlfriend in the last week, and had thought maybe he was on the mend.

He'd thought he had found the woman for him when he'd met Beverly. She'd been sweet and funny, and hadn't minded that he was in the military and out-of-country so much. But it hadn't lasted; after his last tour, she'd told him he was different, distant. That he didn't try to engage her anymore. And, he knew, she'd been right. They'd broken up two years ago, but he still thought of her often, wondering how she was faring, where life had taken her.

_Doesn't do any good to dwell on the past, though, _he reminded himself with another sigh. He pulled into his hotel's parking lot and got out of the Jeep. The humidity was nearly over-whelming, and he couldn't wait to get to the beach that night and take a swim in the cooler ocean. Heading into the hotel, he couldn't stop the grin on his face. He would be spending time with Allura that night, and she'd told him she really wanted him to come.

He couldn't hardly wait.


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own Voltron or its associated characters.

Wow, you guys really took me up leaving reviews - thank you! I'm glad everyone seems to be enjoying it (everyone that left a review, anyway). I'd forgotten what fun it is to write K/A stories. This one is really writing itself! Shout-outs to Sunshineleo, CubbieBlueMako, Silenced Doves, Paulina Ann, PeacockF, idstealer000, 1868, Wade Wells, and Smithy for leaving reviews. Oh, and one person who just had "guest" down as their name. Sunshineleo wanted to know if Allura had ties to Arus...yes. She does. But that won't be revealed for a while, if even in this story. This might just be the first in a series. Thank you all for taking time to read this, and to others who are reading and not leaving reviews. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

CALL OF THE LIONS

CHAPTER FIVE:

Allura stood near the roaring bonfire, a Killians in her hand and a soft smile on her face. It'd been a while since she'd had time to let down like this. Sven and Lance were talking to Tsuyoshi "Hunk" Garrett and Darrel "Pidge" Stoker down by the edge of the water. She could already tell the four of them were going to get along just fine on the mission. A door slammed somewhere up behind them in the parking lot, and a shiver of anticipation mingled with dread shot through her.

_He came. I hope he's okay with me inviting him._ She worried it had been too forward; after all, Keith was her commanding officer now, and fraternization was frowned upon by the higher ups. Still, they had history together. A long history, and a good one.

"Hey." The sound of his voice drove needles of heat through her, and she turned to face him.

"Hey yourself," she said. He looked good, the soft ocean breeze ruffling his dark hair. It was longer than military regs allowed, but she knew the regs weren't always followed if the person was as good at his job as Keith was.

He flashed a quick, nervous smile, and said, "I brought some beer. It's up in my Jeep."

"Thanks. Lance brought some, too," she said, pointing at a beach blanket covered with containers of food and beer. Laughter floated on the breeze to them, and she turned her head to see the four guys walking back their way. Sven caught her eye and waved; she smiled and waved back.

"You and Sven seem to be close," Keith said. There was no judgment in his voice, and Allura heard no jealousy.

"Not especially," she told him. "We just hung out yesterday." She didn't think it was a big deal, although Sven had certainly been willing to make it a bigger deal. A blush touched her cheeks.

"Oh." Keith looked over as the four men converged on them. Sven put his hand out for Keith to shake, but Lance moved to Allura's side and gave their new commander a wary look. She touched his forearm and gave him a quick smile. Hunk and Pidge, as they had asked to be called, completed their circle. Everyone was quiet, as if trying to get a sense of how this was all supposed to work.

"So, beer," Lance finally said, glancing at Sven, who grinned and nodded.

"Absolutely. And then I want to hear more about this thing with the goat," Sven said.

"There was no 'thing' with the goat," Lance said, grimacing. He shot Allura a dirty look. "You and your big mouth."

"It's a funny story," she said, giggling. She hooked her arm through his and tugged. "C'mon."

"Not funny," Lance groused, but allowed himself to be led back to the camp chairs they had set up. Hunk opened one of the coolers and passed around beers to those who wanted them before sitting down between Sven and Pidge. Keith took the chair furthest from Allura.

Everyone was quiet, and Allura glanced over at Keith. He looked ill at ease, out of his comfort zone, and her heart went out to him. She had an easy camaraderie with both Sven and Lance, and already felt like she'd known Hunk and Pidge a long time. Keith looked up and met her gaze, and she felt something akin to an electric shock run through her body. It felt like the very first time they'd met, back in elementary school. Keith was the new kid; his parents had just moved from New York City to the small town of Chester, Colorado, and it was his first day. They were in kindergarten. She'd just been pushed off a swing by Rhett Tomlin, the biggest kid in the whole kindergarten class. She'd started crying, and Rhett was making fun of her, when a small but sturdily-built boy with shaggy black hair had stepped in front of her and demanded that Rhett say he was sorry to her.

Allura smiled a little remembering that, remembering how fiercely adamant Keith had been, even when Rhett threatened to punch him. In the end, Rhett had ended up gruffly saying sorry, and he and Keith had become friends. Rhett's bullying ways had gone by the wayside, and he'd gone to college to be a counselor when they'd graduated. _And all because Keith wanted to defend me. I thought he was the nicest boy I'd ever met._ She still thought that, and wished he didn't look so miserable. She knew some of it was because he wasn't sure about hanging out with them, but it was more than that.

"Allura?"

She jumped, startled by the sound of her name being spoken, and looked at Sven. "Yeah?"

"Wanna take a swim?" There was a challenge in his dark blue eyes that she found amusing, and nodded, glad she'd worn her suit under her tank top and shorts. It was still hot out, the air well in the high 80's.

"You're on," she told him, grinning. She looked around at the others as she got to her feet. "Anyone else?"

Hunk and Pidge declined, but Keith nodded and got to his feet, that uneasiness surrounding him like a fog. Allura gave him an encouraging smile. She'd decided that although they shouldn't pursue any relationship beyond friendship, she was still going to be as supportive of him as she could be.

"I'll hang back here," Lance said, "and keep these guys company."

"Okay," Allura said, walking by him to head down to the water.

"Be careful," Lance warned her. "The currents out there can be pretty hard-core."

"I know how to swim, thanks," she teased.

"I'll take care of her," Keith said, coming to walk beside her. Allura glanced up at him, trying not to show how much those simple words meant to her. He'd always taken care of her; she'd always known no matter what they got themselves into in middle and high school, he would be there by her side. He smiled down at her, and there was an instant spark in his eyes that made her heart beat harder. Maybe it was going to be harder than she'd thought simply being friends.

Sven was already in the water, and he called to them, "Hurry up, the water's great!"

"After you," Keith told her, smiling. Allura ran into the water and once she was waist-deep dove down, enjoying the coolness against her hot skin. She surfaced out by Sven, who grinned at her and then proceeded to dunk her.

She sputtered as she came up and splashed him while pushing her hair out of her eyes. Sven laughed, and soon she was giggling, because this all felt so normal, and she very much needed something to be normal in her life. Keith was treading water next to her, and she suddenly had an urge to kiss him. _Whoa, girl, back that thought up. He is your commanding officer. Don't even think you can go there._ Instead, she turned to Sven and said, "Been home lately?"

"Yeah, a month or so ago. Saw your mom. She told me Luke is out on Deltrax."

"He is." She missed him something fierce. "I was hoping his squad would get rotated back soon, but now it doesn't matter."

"He doing okay?" Keith asked.

"Yeah. He got wounded last year, but has completely recovered." She almost wished he hadn't, because then he'd be here. But her brother loved being a Ranger, and she wouldn't take that away from him, no matter how she felt.

"You miss him," Keith said, his voice soft on the air.

"I do, terribly. But we text and email, so it's not like we're out of communication," she told him. "How's Brian doing? Have you seen him lately?"

"No. He's at the Tetrarch base, on Jeraap. Loves what he's doing, though." The fondness for his younger brother was strong in Keith's voice. He kept his eyes on her as he talked, and she could feel her cheeks warming under his gaze.

"Hey, Keith, race you out to that buoy," Sven said suddenly, breaking the small spell they'd been under.

Keith looked out where Sven was pointing, and shook his head. "Water's getting rougher."

"You just don't think you can keep up," Sven said. He looked at Allura. "How about you, AC? Up for a race?"

A shiver went through her. The waves were starting to build a little out past the buoy, but she knew Sven and Keith wouldn't let anything happen to her. "Okay, you're on," she said, smiling. "But no cheating."

"Me?" Sven gave her a wink.

"Allura, I don't think you should go out there," Keith warned. "The waves are building, and Lance said the currents are bad here." There was tension in his voice.

"You know I won't let anything happen to her," Sven said, an edge to his voice. "Ally? Ready?"

She nodded, not looking at Keith. She and Sven started for the buoy, and she found it endearing that although Sven could easily outswim her, he stayed put at her side, just in case she needed him. This gave her more confidence, and she swam hard. As they reached the buoy, she felt the water pulling harder on her, and a twinge of panic hit her nerves.

"You okay?" Sven asked, reaching to stop her. He kept a hold on her forearm, worry in his eyes.

"I'm okay. Current's just stronger here," she said.

"I'll be right beside you if you need me," he told her, and they started swimming again. Allura could see Keith swimming toward them, determination and worry mingling in his brown eyes, and her heart jumped.

_He's coming for me_. The thought made her giddy inside, and again, she forced those feelings down. It couldn't be like that between them, not now, after he'd been appointed mission commander. Keith fell in on her other side, keeping her between himself and Sven. There was no safer place to be. The current was getting stronger though, and she had to swim much harder to stay at the surface. Keith moved closer to her, and she resisted the urge to take hold of his arm. She could do this on her own, thank you very much.

Once they reached a place where she could stand, she did so, now tired. Her legs buckled a little, and Keith immediately reached around her waist, holding her to him for support. She looked up into his eyes, seeing his instant worry. "I'm okay," she whispered.

"I know." But his tone was hard, and he looked over her head at Sven. "That was stupid, taking her out there."

"She's fine. Besides, you know I'd never let anything happen to her," Sven said. His tone matched Keith's.

"Guys, really, I'm okay," she said, pulling away from Keith and looking at them both. But they were both angry, and she turned away, saying over her shoulder, "I'm going in." Yes, she was tired. But she was really okay. The swim had been good for her, and she trusted them both implicitly to keep her safe. Lance was waiting on the shore with a beach towel for her, and he wrapped it around her shoulders, giving her a one-armed hug.

"You all right?"

"Just tired," she admitted. "Things were getting tense between them."

"Yeah, looks like it. Well, Sven probably shouldn't have taken you that far out, but you're a tough chick," he said. She looked at him and saw a twinkle in his hazel eyes.

"Yeah, I am," she told him, and a small laugh bubbled from her throat. "Any food left?"

"Uh, maybe some Cheetos…man, Hunk can put away the food!" Lance said, laughing too. They reached the bonfire and Allura sat down next to Pidge, who gave her a shy smile. Lance grabbed the bag of Cheetos and handed it to her. She opened it and started eating some, glancing out at the water. Sven and Keith were still in it, but didn't appear to be arguing anymore.

_Men. Why do they have to be so alpha-male all the time?_ There hadn't even been a slight chance that something would happen to her, not with them both looking out for her. A slight smile curved her lips as she thought about Keith swimming out for her. Her cheeks flushed a little, and she dropped her gaze to the sand.

Lance nudged her arm, and said, "So, you excited about flying again? Even if it's a transport ship?"

She nodded, meeting his eyes, her own sparkling. "I can't wait. It doesn't even matter it's just a transport." She couldn't wait to sit in the seat, even the copilot seat, put her feet on the rudders, and take that bird up into the air. Sensing someone watching her, she saw that both Hunk and Pidge were staring at her and trying not to. "It's okay, you guys can ask," she said.

The two exchanged a look, and then Pidge said, "It's just, well, we've heard a lot of rumors, and we wondered what the truth was." His voice was earnest, and he blushed.

She nodded. "My flight and I were called in for support on some Marines who'd gotten themselves into a tight spot. The Air Force had sent in some Wild Weasels to take out the SAM sites, but they missed one that was so well-camouflaged it didn't show up on radar. When my guys and I rolled in, that site opened up. I made the decision to go in anyway, and we lost two men." Her voice was quiet, and her hands had clenched into white-knuckled fists. "The Air Force grounded me indefinitely after that."

"But you saved those Marines," Hunk pointed out, his gruff voice soft. "Would you do it differently now?"

"No." Her answer was immediate and heartfelt. "I know it's my fault those men lost their lives, but all of the Marines would've died if we hadn't gone in." And to her, it had been a fair trade-off, though the two pilots haunted her nightly in her nightmares. "Their call signs were Disco and Smasher," she added softly. "I'll never forget that."

"I had friends in that squad of Marines you saved."

Allura looked up to see Keith and Sven standing there; they'd been so quiet she hadn't heard them walking up from the water. Keith sat down across from her. "They said they never would've made it out without your flight coming in," he said. His voice was firm.

"I know. I just wish we could've gotten in and out without losing my guys," she said.

"Combat is hard," Hunk said. He leaned forward in his chair toward her. He had a gentle demeanor for a man his size, and his warm brown eyes were reassuring. "Sometimes you have to make a tough call, even though it's gonna get you in hot water."

"Amen to that," Sven said. He sat down and leaned back in his chair. "I think we've all been in situations like that." He glanced over at Pidge. "Except maybe for you, kiddo."

"Hey, I'm twenty," Pidge retorted, shoving his glasses up. He bit his lip. "But yeah, I've never seen combat. I build stuff for you guys to use in combat, though."

"How long have you been with the ATC?" Keith asked, his tone friendly.

"Since I turned fourteen," Pidge said, blushing a little. "My parents wouldn't let me go until then. My older brother, Chip, is in the ATC, too. He had to wait until he was sixteen." There was a note of pride in his voice that Allura found amusing.

"You must be a pretty amazing tech for Hawkins to pick you," she told him. He blushed again.

"Yeah," he said, nodding. He said nothing, looking embarrassed.

"So what do you do in the Army, Hunk?" she asked, turning to the big man.

"Fix things," he said.

"What kind of things?" Keith asked.

Hunk smiled a sly smile. "All kinds of things. Tanks, guns, helicopters, missile systems, whatever they need fixed."

"Pretty impressive," Keith said, nodding. "It will be good to have you and Pidge on the team." His words, while whole-heartedly sincere, seemed to remind everyone that he was their commander, and it became extremely quiet. Keith noticed, and got to his feet. "Thanks for inviting me, Allura," he said, nodding to her, "but I should get going. I'll see you all tomorrow." He grabbed his T shirt and tugged it over his head, and walked back toward the parking lot.

Allura's heart broke a little for him. It had to be very hard, knowing your crew wasn't all that comfortable with you around. She got up and followed him, tying her towel around her waist as she went. He was at his Jeep's door when she caught up to him. "Keith?"

"Yeah?" He turned to look at her, and the intensity in his gaze went right to her stomach, charging it with butterflies. When she froze, he moved toward her, worry in the depths of his deep brown eyes. "You okay?"

She nodded, giving herself a mental shake. "I am, but are you?" she asked softly. He was standing in front of her, so very close, and she reached out to lay her hand on his forearm. "You seem…sad."

He started to speak and stop, and huffed out a breath. "Not sad, no. I've never run a team before, and I just hope I'm not going to screw it up." The tentativeness in his voice was sweet, and she gave his arm a light squeeze.

"I think you're going to do just fine," she said, her voice low. She watched his eyes darken and inhaled slowly, trying to calm her heartbeats. They hadn't been this close to one another since the day they'd broken up – the day they graduated high school, the most bittersweet day of her life.

"Thanks," he breathed, his voice rough with emotion. "I'm glad you got on the team, Ally," he whispered. "There's no one I'd rather have with me."

Her heart fluttered at his words, and before she knew what she was doing, before she could tell herself to stop, she lifted up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. He wrapped both of his arms around her, lifting her off the ground. She sighed against his mouth and he deepened the kiss. She could hear the strong thrumming of his heartbeats, and wrapped her arms around his neck. This was wrong, and they both knew it. And at the moment, she was pretty sure neither of them gave a damn.

Keith set her down a few moments later, and took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. "Wow. Sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

She put her hand on his chest and met his worried gaze. "Keith, don't. I knew what I was doing when I kissed you. We're both adults here."

"Yeah, and I'm your CO now." He took a couple of steps back. Regret lined his face. "I'm sorry, Allura."

"No." She moved into his space and poked him in the chest. "I'm not letting you do this, Keith. I think we both know we're meant for one another. We've known that since kindergarten." Her voice was firm and direct. So was her gaze as she met his eyes.

His eyes widened, and then a slow, wicked smile curved his lips. "You don't care if you get into trouble?"

She gave a delicate snort. "The Air Force already grounded me, and Lance had to blackmail Hawkins to put me on the team. I guess I don't care about trouble."

Keith barked out a short laugh and reached around her with one arm, hauling her up against his hard body. He ran his free hand over her hair, tipped her chin up, and kissed her soundly. "I guess I don't care, either," he murmured against her mouth.

"We'll be out in space, anyway," she said, a soft giggle escaping her. "I've missed you so much. I didn't think I did, because I tried not to ever think about you. And for a long time, I was too busy trying to make it in the Air Force to think about you."

"Yeah, me too. It wasn't easy doing what I do and thinking about someone," he told her. "You should know, I did have a serious girlfriend for a year-and-a-half, Beverly. But we broke up two years ago. She said I was different after my last tour." His voice grew solemn. "I'm over her, but just thought you should know."

"Okay." She thought for a second. "I haven't had a serious boyfriend since you, but I did date around a little. Two guys, but it never went anywhere," she told him softly.

"Good. I wouldn't want to have a long list of guys to beat up," he said, grinning down at her. She giggled again and snuggled up to him. "You're still the perfect fit for my arms," he whispered.

"I always will be." She let that sink in for a second and kissed him again, gently. He had always been her soul mate, her best friend, her protector. She couldn't imagine being with anyone else; that was the main reason she'd never dated much and had turned down almost everyone who had asked her out. As Keith held her closer, his strong arms cradling her to his chest, she let herself enjoy this moment, knowing she was truly home.


	6. Chapter 6

I don't own Voltron or its associated characters.

Thank you for all the awesomely nice reviews! I am super excited about where this story is heading; I have come up with something unique for the lions that I don't believe anyone else has done before. I think this will end up being a series, as well - just too much to do for one story :-)

FroofyB, cubbieBlueMako, Sunshineleo, Paulina Ann, thank you so much for the kind encouragement and words. The K/A community really is supportive and amazing :-)

CALL OF THE LIONS

CHAPTER SIX:

The following afternoon, Keith sat in the base's cafeteria across from Allura and just enjoyed watching her, listening to her as she teased their fellow teammates. The team meeting that morning had gone well; Hawkins hadn't made any more derogatory comments about her being on the team, which was good, because Keith knew he would've stepped in and said something that probably would've gotten him in hot water. They would be leaving at 0400 the following day, and there was an excited, anxious hum about the five of them as they ate lunch. Allura glanced over at him, her eyes shining, and he winked at her, causing a tinge of pink to color her cheeks.

"She looks happy," Sven said. He was sitting next to Keith, a coffee cup in his hand, and a knowing smirk on his lips. "She go home with you last night?"

"No." Keith had decided that that might be overstepping their bounds a bit, and Allura had agreed, to his relief. He wasn't so naïve as to think she hadn't ever slept with anyone, but he wasn't ready yet for that in this new relationship of theirs. They'd never been together while dating in high school, though he knew the rumor mill had said differently. The only woman he'd ever been with was Beverly, but that had been two years ago.

"Probably a good thing," Sven said quietly. "At least until we get off this planet."

"Yeah." Keith didn't feel very talkative; he just wanted to watch his girl enjoying herself. She smiled over at him again, and he grinned back. Lance gave him a sharp look, but Keith ignored him. The others had all seen them kissing the night before; the only one who'd seemed put off by it had been Lance. _And he can just get used to it_, Keith thought. He had Allura back, and this time, he wasn't letting anything stop him from being with her.

Allura's phone beeped, and she checked it, her entire demeanor changing. "I'll be right back," she said, her voice tight with tension. Keith nodded, frowning. He watched her walk away, waited a few heartbeats, and followed her. She went out into the hallway, talking quietly on her phone, and he stayed a few paces behind her, respecting her need for privacy. She leaned against the wall, her eyes closed, and Keith's protective hackles flared. Something was wrong. She was hurting.

When she slid her phone back into her pocket, he approached her. "What's wrong?" he asked. His voice was low.

She opened her eyes and he saw the worry in them. "That was my mom. She said my dad fell yesterday off a ladder and hurt his back really bad." She sighed. "And of course he doesn't want her to fly down to Florida and stay with him. He wants me to come." There was pain in her voice. "If I hadn't gotten on the team, I could go to him."

Keith rubbed his thumb caressingly across her right cheek. "But then you and I wouldn't be together." He knew it hurt her that her parents were divorced and didn't get along whatsoever. And it irked him that her father would even mention something about her coming to stay with him; he hadn't exactly been stellar in the dad department when she and Luke were growing up. "I'm sorry, love. But there's nothing you can do about it now." He kept his voice low and kind.

She sighed. "I know." She put her arms around his waist and he wrapped her in his, tugging her close to his body. "I'm glad I'm with you," she whispered.

"Me too, sweetheart." He kissed her cheek and then slowly released her, knowing they shouldn't stay this way for long. It wouldn't be good if the wrong person saw them. They went back into the cafeteria, where their teammates were talking. Everyone stopped though when they approached.

"Everything all right?" Lance asked first, his hazel eyes steady on Allura.

"My dad fell and hurt his back," she said, sitting back down between him and Hunk.

"That's too bad," Hunk said. Keith was amazed at how soft the big man's voice was. Captain Garrett stood six foot seven at the shoulders, and it seemed like his normal voice should be booming and big. But Keith had yet to hear him raise his voice to anyone.

Allura smiled and Keith saw her pull her shoulders back. "He'll be okay. He has lots of friends in his suburb," she said.

"And your mom?" Pidge asked, his voice tentative.

"They're divorced," she told him, shrugging. He nodded, ducking his head as if embarrassed to have brought it up.

Keith looked at his watch and said, "We should get going. We all have things we need to do before we get on that shuttle tomorrow."

"Aye, aye, Commander." Lance got to his feet. The strain of animosity in his voice rankled Keith's nerves, but he pushed the annoyance away. He'd asked around about Major McClain and had heard varying things about the Air Force pilot. Namely, he was probably the best pilot the US had, in any of the services. And secondly, he was a hot-head.

Allura waited for Keith while the others filed out. She gave his arm a squeeze. "Are you excited about tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

She glanced up at him as they walked down the hallway. "You don't sound too sure about that answer, handsome."

He knew she was right. He _was_ excited, but the excitement was currently devolving into nervousness. Telling her that, he added, "I'm afraid I might screw it up."

Allura stopped him and poked him in the chest lightly, a determined look on her face. "Keith Kogane has never, not once, screwed anything up. You are going to do just fine as our commander."

"Well," he said, an amused smile breaking across his face, "I did screw up once, a long time ago. There was this amazing girl I loved that I let go of." His smile fell away as he added, "Worst decision of my life."

Allura's face gentled. "You and I both had different career paths, Keith. I understood that. And trying to stay together while we were establishing our careers wouldn't have worked, either. I know I was too busy trying to get ahead of my classmates, be outstanding in the flight training. I had to give everything of myself to becoming a fighter pilot." She spoke softly, but determination underlined every word. "And you couldn't have become the hardcore Marine sniper you are today if you'd tried staying with me. You know that."

And he did know that. There was no way he could've devoted any of himself to keeping a relationship with her alive while in basic training, much less while being overseas in a war zone. He ran his hand gently over her hair, tugging on an errant strand and then pushing it back behind her ear. "Yeah, I know all that. But it doesn't matter if it's true or not. It was still a terrible decision." He allowed a small smile as he said it.

Allura smiled back and they resumed walking. They passed several other officers, some of them doing a double-take at her. Keith let his eyes talk for him, and the glances from the other men were quickly turned away. "Always protective," she murmured.

"Always," he murmured back. He'd always been that type of guy, concerned for the fairer sex. His brother, Brian, was the same way. They'd been raised to respect women, and to watch out for them. He couldn't remember a time when he hadn't felt concern for the opposite sex, particularly when he saw a woman in trouble, or needing help. He'd been called a softy for his views over in the middle East, especially since he'd stopped once to help a little girl look for a doll she'd lost when her village was attacked. He took the ribbing good-naturedly.

They left the building and stepped out into the sunshine. Allura tipped her face to the sun, and he was taken aback by how beautiful she was, the sunlight shining off her golden hair, her delicate skin tan and healthy. His heart beat harder, and he reached to touch her cheek, not able to stop himself. She tipped her face toward him, and he struggled to not kiss her right then. Taking her hand, he led her at a fast clip across the street to the parking lot. Once at his Jeep, he pushed her gently up against the door and tipped her chin up with one finger, his mouth immediately dropping to claim hers. She sighed in pleasure and kissed him back, her hands snaking around his trim torso and hugging him to her. He wasn't sure how long they kissed, but it didn't seem nearly long enough when he forced himself to stop.

He leaned his forehead against hers. "Sorry about that. I couldn't help myself," he whispered.

"You never have to apologize for that," she told him softly. She touched his face and he leaned into her touch, wondering that he'd been able to live all these years without it. Her phone rang again and he moved back a couple steps, giving her space while she answered it. This time she seemed angry while she listened, and she hung up without a word. When she met his concerned gaze, he saw anger. "Mom's trying to lay all this guilt on me, saying I should go and stay with him. She thinks his friends won't be able to help him."

"She's never been that concerned about him before, has she?" he asked.

Allura shook her head. "No. I know why she's doing this. She knows I'm leaving on the mission tomorrow, and she doesn't want me to go. She's been mad at Luke for years for 'abandoning' her and going into space," she said. "And now she says I'm doing the same thing. Ugh." She stepped out around him and walked away, shaking her head.

Keith let her go, knowing she needed to walk off some of her frustration. It made him angry that her mother would do something like this, try to keep her daughter from following her dream of flight. He leaned back against the hood of the Jeep, crossing his arms over his broad chest. He'd always thought Allura's parents were okay; they'd always treated him well, and allowed him to basically become part of their family, especially when his own mother had died on a peak in the Rockies. But the divorce had been terrible, on all the members of the family. Mr. Castle had moved to Florida, where he immediately began dating all the single young women who'd have him, and Mrs. Castle had dove head-first into alcohol. Keith still remembered getting the phone call from Allura one night, after the divorce had finalized. Mrs. Castle had had a break-down and was smashing things to the floor, yelling and screaming, and had frightened her daughter. Keith had run to their house from his, as he lived just down the road, arriving to find Allura crying out on the porch, afraid to go inside her own house.

His muscles automatically tightened as he thought of how furious he'd been with Allura's mom. He'd taken Allura to his house for the night, and they'd cuddled in his bed until she'd finally fallen asleep, exhausted from her tears. He'd promised himself that night, as he'd done so many other times, that he'd always protect her.

"Keith?"

He looked up to see her standing in front of him, a concerned look on her face. "Yeah?"

"You okay?" she asked, her voice tentative.

He gave a slow nod. "Just thinking," he told her. "You all right?"

She came to him and he opened his arms to her, holding her close and dropping a kiss on the top of her head. "Yeah, I guess. I just wish they wouldn't involve me in their fighting, you know? Luke told me I should change my number, but I hate to do that. If they _really_ needed me, I want them to be able to contact me."

"Did Luke change his number?"

"No. He said he should, but he feels the same way I do." Allura sighed. "I'll be glad to get out in space tomorrow."

"Me too." Keith hugged her again and then let go. "Come on. I need to go see a friend of mine. You can ride along."

"Jeff?" she asked, waiting for him to open the Jeep's door for her.

"Yeah. His younger sister, Madi, got hurt in a base attack out at Xerces. I just want to go by and see how she's doing, if he's heard anything." He closed her door and walked around the back of the Jeep. Once in, he added, "They're really close, and I know it's killing him not being able to go see her."

"Xerces Base," Allura murmured. "That's out on Kildarre, right?"

"Yeah." Keith turned right out of the parking lot and headed toward Jeff's apartment. Jeff had been assigned to the Marines base here for over a year, and Keith knew his friend was getting itchy to get on with a new mission. He wished Jeff had put in for the mission he'd gotten, but Jeff hadn't been interested in it.

"She must be AIC, then?"

"Yeah." Keith pulled into the parking lot of Jeff's apartment complex and parked. He turned to Allura. "This won't take long, I just want to make sure he's okay before we head out tomorrow."

She smiled. "You can take as long as you like," she said softly. "I love that you care about your friends." She leaned toward him and touched his lips with her own. Keith deepened the kiss for a few seconds and then reluctantly backed off.

"Come on," he said, his voice husky with desire. They got out of the Jeep and walked into the building. Keith pressed a button, and Jeff's voice came through, asking who it was. "Kogane," Keith said. Jeff told them to come on up, and Keith took Allura's hand as they started up the stairs.

Jeff's door was open, and Metallica was booming through the living room when they walked in. Jeff turned toward them, and Keith knew his friend was hurting. Shutting off his iPod, Jeff came over and shook hands with Keith.

"Good to see you, man," Jeff said, smiling. But the smile didn't reach his dark blue eyes, and Keith's stomach clenched. "Allura." Jeff held out his hand to her too, and she shook it.

"It's nice to see you again," she said.

"You guys want anything to drink?" Jeff asked, leading the way into the kitchen. He pulled open the steel fridge and glanced at them.

Allura moved closer to him and took a quick look in the fridge. "I'll take a Coke," she said softly. Jeff grabbed one and handed it to her, then looked at Keith expectantly.

"A Coke is fine," Keith told him.

Jeff grabbed two more and shut the fridge, then led the way into the living room, where he handed Keith a bottle and dropped into a beat-up recliner. Keith sat down on the couch, Allura dropping down next to him.

"So, what brings you two here?" Jeff asked. He opened his Coke and took a long pull on it.

Leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, Keith said, "I wanted to know if you'd found out anything else on Madi."

Jeff sighed and set his bottle down on the little stand next to him. "I did finally get to talk to her this morning. She said she's okay, but…" Jeff got up and walked over to look out his window. "I know she's not. She's hurt, Keith. And the base is being shelled by rebels. I wish I get to Xerces and get her out of there." The pain in his voice was deep.

"Are they going to evacuate the base?" Keith asked quietly.

"Madi said it's not an option at the moment. They're not letting anything on or off Kildarre right now." Jeff sat back down, mirroring Keith's position.

"What are the rebels hoping to accomplish?" Allura asked.

Jeff shrugged. "They're not happy that Xerces was reopened last year. They don't want the Alliance spying on them, I guess." His tone grew darker as he added, "If they know what's good for them, they'll back off before the Alliance sends in the Guns."

"Think it'll come to that?" Keith asked. The "Guns" were the general term for the Galaxy Alliance's heavily-armed battle cruisers. He knew the Winter Fleet was stationed in that particular galaxy, and would be able to respond quickly if needed.

"I hope not. They're not exactly what you'd call precise," Jeff said darkly. He took another long pull of his Coke. "I just want to go get her and bring her home."

"I wish I could help you do that," Keith said. He glanced at Allura; she had empathy in his eyes, and he knew she wished she could help, too. He loved that about her. Despite her own hardships, she never balked at helping someone else if she could.

"I know." Jeff sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "I just have to trust that she's okay and that the base will be able to deflect the attacks."

Keith hoped so too; the Guns were very, very good at what they did, but like Jeff said, not exactly about precision. They were more like the old B-52s, who used carpet-bombing as their strategy. He knew the Guns would never specifically target an Alliance-held base, but if push got to shoving, the Winter Fleet would do whatever was necessary to win, especially since Xerces was an Alliance Intelligence Command base. It was better to lose all the intel than to let an enemy get it. He understood the reasoning, just as Jeff and Allura did, but Jeff had a personal stake in this situation.

"So, you guys are heading off to space tomorrow," Jeff said. He tried smiling. "Excited?"

"Nervous," Keith corrected. Allura gave his forearm a light squeeze. "Excited about a new mission, though."

"Yeah, I hear that. I wish they'd assign me somewhere different," Jeff said. "I mean, I love being in California, but I wouldn't mind something new to do." He looked at Allura, his eyes softening. "And you must be excited to get back in the air."

She nodded, a huge smile on her face. "I am, I can't wait."

"Ever flown a space buggy before?" Jeff asked, using the general nickname the armed forces used for the ships flown in space.

"A few times. I've been out to the Mesa base on Hellion," Allura said. "Definitely different than flying my F-120 Jag, that's for sure."

Jeff laughed. "I bet," he said, nodding. He glanced at his watch. "Hey, this has been nice, but I've got a meeting to get to."

"Marines?" Keith asked, genuinely curious.

Jeff opened his mouth, seemed to think better of it, and nodded. "Sort of," he said, his voice low, like he didn't want anyone else to hear him. "I got contacted by Commander Foxx."

Keith's eyes widened. "Foxx, as in Applied Military Sciences Foxx?"

Jeff nodded. His eyes were solemn, as was his voice when he said, "The same. I don't know why, but he was pretty adamant about me meeting him today." He got to his feet, shrugging. "And no one tells Foxx no."

"That's for sure." Keith and Allura got to their feet as well, and the two men hugged. "Let me know when you find anything else out about Madi and her situation, or if there's any way I can help. And good luck with Foxx."

"Thanks, man. I really appreciate you two stopping by," Jeff said. He held his arms out to Allura, and she stepped into them, hugging him. "Take care of him for me, okay? He's the best sniper the Marines have, and the best damn friend I've got." There was heaviness in Jeff's voice, and Keith took a slow deep breath. He hadn't thought it would be this hard to come say goodbye, but the truth was, he was realizing he and Jeff were better friends than they'd thought. He hoped that Commander Foxx would have something new for Jeff, some mission for the Marine to take on.

"I will, I promise," Allura said. They walked to the door and Keith and Allura left ahead of Jeff. Once they were in the Jeep, she turned to face him. "Are you okay? That was some heavy stuff Jeff was laying down."

Keith took another slow deep breath, nodding. "Yeah, I'm all right. I just wish there was something I could do about Madi. They're super close, you know?"

Allura nodded. "I do know. Luke and I are that way, too." She paused, taking his hands in hers. "We just have to hope that the Alliance doesn't send in the Guns without proper cause." She kissed his cheek. "Come on. Let's go for a drive."

He nodded, starting the Jeep up. "Sounds good. I need to get gas; we can get something to drink." As they pulled out into traffic, he hoped Jeff's meeting would go well, and that the Alliance would hold off sending the Winter Fleet in. It would destroy Jeff if his sister were to get caught up in a gunship battle with Kildarre's rebel forces. Allura reached out and took his right hand, squeezing it gently, and he returned the gesture, glad that she was here with him. Now that he had her at his side again, he knew he could face down anything that the mission threw at them. He just wished Jeff had someone like that to help him get through this rough time, too. At least the meeting with Commander Foxx would take his mind off of Madi for a little while. Pulling into a gas station, Keith decided to let go of his worries and just concentrate on the beautiful woman riding shotgun beside him. He needed to let down some before they blasted off into space the following morning.


	7. Chapter 7

I don't own Voltron or its characters.

Here's the next installment. We're finally headed into space! What peril lies in wait for our intrepid space team? You'll just have to keep on reading (and reviews don't hurt, either - just sayin'.) Thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing. I'm having a blast writing this, and hope to update again soon!

CALL OF THE LIONS

CHAPTER SEVEN:

The next morning, at 0500, Allura stood on the tarmac of the Galaxy Alliance's Meridian base, her eyes riveted on the SS-84 Starfinder spacecraft that she and Lance would be flying. It was a big beast of a ship, gleaming white with blue on its wingtips and tail, and she couldn't wait to get in the cockpit and put her hands on the control wheel. Even though she was sitting shotgun for the mission, it didn't matter. She would be flying again.

A pair of hands descended on her shoulders, giving them a light, familiar squeeze. "Excited?" Keith whispered in her ear.

"You know it." She glanced back at him, seeing his boyish grin. "I can't thank Lance enough for what he did for me."

"Oh, I can think of ways you could repay me," Lance said. He strolled by them, his eyes taking in the spacecraft. He threw her a wink, and she felt Keith's hand tighten slightly on her shoulders.

"About time we get familiar with our ride," Sven said from behind them. He walked up and stood next to Keith. "I'm ready to get off this rock."

"Me too." Allura pulled away from Keith and went to the ramp leading into the big shuttle. Lance was inside, as well as Hunk and Pidge, who were going over the electronic equipment. Lance grinned at her.

"Ready to see where you'll be riding?" he asked her.

"Sure." She followed him forward to the cockpit, which was tight, filled with all kinds of navigational equipment and flight sensors. Allura sat in the right seat while Lance took the left. She touched the control wheel gently, reverently. This was really happening. She was really going to fly again.

"Feels good, huh?" Lance asked. He was watching her, amusement in his dark hazel eyes.

"It does," she said. "Thank you again, Rocks. I feel like I'm dreaming, sitting here."

"No dream. And like I said, I can think of ways you can repay me," he said. While his voice had a teasing lilt to it, there was something more serious in his eyes, and she chose to ignore it. She was with Keith, all the way. No other guy, for her, held a candle to Lieutenant Commander Kogane.

Pidge soon joined them, a big grin on his face. "Electronic systems are a go, guys."

"Great." Lance looked at Allura. "We better do the walk around. We're supposed to be outta here by 0600."

"Okay." They got up and left the shuttle, each circling it in a different direction, each making sure the Starfinder was air and space-worthy. She saw Keith and Sven talking quietly, Sven pointing up at the gun turrets mounted in the tail section and upper deck of the ship. She was glad the Starfinder was armed; one never knew what kind of danger to expect out in space. Though the Galaxy Garrison controlled much of the surrounding galaxies, there were always insurgents and rebel groups out to make trouble. She finished her inspections and met up with Lance under the nose. "Everything looks good on my list," she told him.

"Yeah, mine too." Lance took a step closer to her, and she took one back, suddenly unsure of what he was going to do. "Hold still," he said. He reached out and gently pushed a strand of her hair back behind her ear. "There." His voice was low, and a little intense. Allura took a big step back from him.

"Lance—"

He shook his head. "Yeah, I know you're with Kogane. But I can't help it, AC. You do something for me." His voice was brimming with honesty, and she swallowed hard. Truth be told, she'd always found him quite attractive too, but the memories of Keith had kept her from getting too attached to any other guy.

"I'm flattered, Rocks, really, but as you said, I'm with Keith. I don't foresee that ever changing," she said. She spoke quietly, watching the drift of emotions in his eyes. "But you and I can be—"

He groaned. "No, don't give me the old 'we can be friends' speech. I hate that crap." He forced a smile. "It's all good. And hey, if you and Kogane ever do split…well, I won't be hard to track down." Before she could say anything, he moved off, adding over his shoulder, "Better get the troops saddled up. About time to get the big girl humming."

She nodded and followed him. There was a heavy feeling in her stomach; she liked Lance a lot, knew she wouldn't be here without his help, but she couldn't give him what he wanted. Her heart was Keith's, had always been Keith's. She started up the ramp when someone tugged on her elbow. Turning, she saw Keith, a frown on his face.

"You okay?" he asked. "I saw you talking to McClain, and you looked stressed." There was a ribbon of protectiveness through his voice, and Allura's heart twitched a little. She'd always loved that he was protective of her. At the same time, he'd always been willing to let her try things on her own, too, even when they could possibly hurt her. He was always there to back her up.

"I'm okay," she said. She knew she hadn't sounded convincing, though, because his eyes grew a shade darker. "Keith, really, I'm fine."

"Yeah you are." Lance walked up the ramp past them. Allura felt her face warm considerably, and heard Keith growl something under his breath. Lance stopped and turned on his heel, shooting Keith an icy look. "Care to repeat that, jarhead?" he asked.

"You heard me." Keith put his hands on his slim hips and glared back at the pilot.

Lance suddenly smirked. "What's the matter, Chief? You think I'm trying to steal your girl?" There was a hint of defiance in his voice.

"Not possible," Keith told him. His voice was frosty. He reached out and took Allura's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "But if you continue hitting on her and making her uncomfortable, I'll throw you off this space buggy and not feel bad at all."

Lance glared at him. "Yeah?"

"Yes." Keith's eyes had narrowed down into thin dark slits. "We clear?"

Allura was afraid Lance would do something stupid and give in to his hot-headedness, but he merely smirked and then saluted. "Aye, aye, Cap'n." Flashing a salute at Keith, he turned and continued up the ramp, and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"Hey." Keith tipped her chin up so he could see her eyes. "It's okay. I can handle his attitude. It's nothing I haven't dealt with before in the Marines." His voice was low and reassuring, and she leaned against him for a moment, knowing it was highly-inappropriate and not caring right then. She just wanted to be close to him.

"I know you can, handsome." She kissed his cheek and drew back, searching his pretty eyes. "He's pretty harmless, really. I already told him I'm with you, and that's not going to change."

Keith smiled, but there was a grim look in his eyes that she didn't like. "I know. But if he does anything you don't like, make sure you tell me, okay? I won't have him disrupting this mission." Steel underlined his words, and she immediately nodded.

"I will, don't worry." She saw Sven and Hunk approaching, and said, "I'd better get in the cockpit with him so we can fire her up."

"Okay." Keith nodded and turned away to talk to the other men. As Allura went up the ramp, she met Pidge at the top and smiled at him.

"Excited?" she asked.

He nodded, but there was definitely a wariness to him that she hadn't noticed earlier in the morning. "Yeah, I am," he finally said. His hair was tousled in the back, and she suddenly wanted to ruffle it, tell him that everything would be okay.

"Lance is a great pilot, arguably the best in the U.S.," she told him. "And I'm not so bad myself. We'll be all right."

He grinned then, and his light brown eyes lit up. "I know. I'd heard of both of you before I was called into see Commander Hawkins."

She smiled. "And Sven is a demolitions expert, so we're good with the weapons, too." She looked down the ramp to where Keith stood talking with Sven and Hunk. "And Keith will get us there and back. I know he will."

Pidge followed her gaze. "He seems like a really cool guy."

Allura nodded, her blue eyes filling with warmth as she watched Keith. "He is, the best." She forced herself to look back at Pidge. "We're going to be starting the big girl up now, so you'll probably want to get buckled in."

"Okay." Pidge gave a nod and started into the ship. He seemed much more at ease now, and she was glad she'd been able to help him feel better about the mission. She followed him up and went up the mini-flight of stairs that led into the cockpit of the Starfinder.

Lance was already running pre-flight checks on the instruments as she settled into the right seat. He glanced at her, a wry smile on his face. "Set your boyfriend off, didn't I?"

Allura began her own pre-flight check. "And you think that's funny?"

"Yeah." Lance reached overhead to make an adjustment. "I can't help how I feel, AC."

"No, but you could tone it down." She turned in her seat to look at him. "I mean it, Lance. Keith has a pretty long fuse, but not so much where I'm concerned. He will throw you off this bird if you're messing with me." Her voice was firm. She needed him to see that Keith was dead-serious. "And if that happens, it will jeopardize the mission. And you know how adamant Hawkins is about us bringing back Voltron."

He didn't say anything, just kept going over the instruments one-by-one, making more adjustments as needed. She waited, knowing he'd heard her. Finally, when she was about to say something else, he told her, "Don't worry. I know you love him." He met her gaze then. His hazel eyes were full of determination. "And I know how important this mission is, to all of us. I can keep it locked down."

"Good." She began working again, her fingers light and nimble on the controls, dancing over them in anticipation. "I'm good on this side."

"Good here." Lance reached up and flipped the intercom switch. "All right gents, we're gonna light her up. Buckle down." He glanced at Allura, a smile on his lean, handsome face. "Go ahead, AC."

Arrows of excitement shot through her stomach at his words. It was always the pilot's job to start up the engines, and letting her do the honors was a huge concession on his part. She nodded, reached out, and hit the switches. The big machine began to shake as the SPJ-5 engines wound up, three on each wing. The ground crew had already pulled away the boarding ramp, and was now waiting to pull the chocks away from the fat landing tires. Allura listened to the engines as they roared and then settled into a steady hum, listening intently for any indications that things were off. Hearing nothing, she looked at Lance for confirmation. He nodded to her, and she placed one hand gently on the throttles. Taking a deep breath to calm the racing of her heart, she pushed them forward.

The chocks were jerked from in front of the tires, and the big jet eased its way down the tarmac, heading for the nearest runway. Lance's hands were on his control wheel, carefully guiding the Starfinder on its path.

"Starfinder 105, you are cleared to runway 002," the air-traffic controller said over their headsets.

"Roger, Control." Lance's voice was firm. His jaw was relaxed when Allura glanced over at him. She was ecstatic to be on the team, but she knew Lance hadn't needed her in the cockpit. Even as big as the Starfinder was, he'd have been able to perfectly control the jet without her riding shotgun.

They rolled down the tarmac, making a left-handed turn to bring them onto runway 002. Lance put the brakes on and looked over at her. "You ready for this?" he asked.

She knew he wasn't just asking if she was ready to take the bird up. He was also asking, _Are you capable of handling your first time back in the sky?_ It had been a year since her last flight, a year that she hadn't been actively flying, working a cockpit. He needed to know if she was all here mentally, or if that last combat mission had damaged her. She took a long, slow breath before meeting his gaze. "I am."

"Let's fly." Lance flashed her a grin full of confidence and reached out to push the throttles up. The big jet rolled forward, faster and faster, and his grin grew wider. As he and Allura eased the control wheels back, he let out a whoop of joy that made her laugh out loud. Up, up, came the nose of the Starfinder, until she had enough lift beneath her wings to get the rest of her big body off the ground.

_I'm flying. Flying!_ Euphoria spread through her body, and she couldn't help the tears of joy that crowded into her eyes. She had been almost-positive that this would never happen to her again, that the Air Force would keep her permanently out the cockpit for the rest of her life. _Thanks to Lance, here I am. Flying again. Hot damn._ Laughter bubbled up again and spilled from her mouth, and Lance looked at her, the same joy radiating from his eyes.

"Good to have you with me, AC," he said.

"Good to be here, Rocks," she told him. The Starfinder was still climbing, pointing her nose toward the far-reach of space. She was light in the controls for as big as she was, and Allura kept just a gentle touch on her control wheel. Lance made some adjustments to the trim and flaps; she let him do that, knowing he'd had much more experience over the last year. She knew he'd been making space runs to Mesa base, out on Hellion. Mesa was a resupply base for the other Alliance bases in the Baldar galaxy. She'd made a few runs out there herself, before that last combat mission. She watched as the jet nosed into the low-laying clouds, feeling a thrill in her stomach.

"You okay over there?" Lance asked. His concern was appreciated, but she knew she didn't need it. Not now.

"Peachy," she told him. "Everything looks good. She handles nice."

He nodded. "Yeah, she's a great bird. I've flown a few other Starfinders out to Mesa before."

Their headsets crackled to life. "Starfinder 105, you are good to go. Your path is clear. Have a great flight."

"Roger that, Control. Thanks for the assist." Lance leaned back in his seat and stretched. "How're you feeling?"

"I'm good. I was a little nervous when we first started rolling, back on the tarmac. But I'm good now. Really, really good." She leaned back in her seat too. The Starfinder was still climbing, and would be for a good while yet. Right now there wasn't a lot to do but chill and keep an eye on the instruments. "Thank you, again, Rocks. This means the universe to me."

He nodded, a boyish grin on his face. "You deserve to be here, AC, even more than I do. The Air Force didn't know what it was doing, grounding you like that." His smile fell away, and he added, "You're a natural pilot."

"So are you."

He nodded. "We're two-of-a-kind, Ally." His voice had softened, and the look in his eyes made her uncomfortable. Hadn't she just told him he needed to back off? But she knew that it wasn't in a fighter pilot's heart to back off – they were hardcore, all the time, all the way. It was the only way to win in a fight. She'd learned that a long time ago. It's what had driven her to protect those Marines a year ago.

"Lance, you're doing it again," she told him, quietly calling him on it.

He smiled, a wolf's smile. "Yeah, I am, huh? Damn it." But he didn't sound at all like he meant it, like he felt chastised.

"Everything good up here?"

Keith's voice instantly brought a scowl to Lance's face and heat to Allura's. She turned in her chair to look up at him, and saw a flash of something angry deep in his eyes. Knowing she had to head off a confrontation, she quickly unbuckled her restraining belt and got up. Going to Keith, she took his hand and tugged on it. He frowned, but allowed himself to be led from the cockpit. They went down the stairs and into the first compartment. He pulled his hand from hers and crossed his arms over his chest.

She took a calming breath and said, "You have nothing to worry about, Keith. He knows exactly where I stand, where _we_ stand."

"I know he does." He ran a hand over the back of his neck. "But I don't like him hitting on you. He's just asking me for trouble." There was a hint of growl in his voice, and it sent a small jump through her stomach. She couldn't help liking that he was protective, even when there was clearly no need to be.

She started to speak when the jet's nose pitched higher, making it infinitely more difficult to keep her feet. It had been hard before, with the jet already on an incline. Now, her feet slid and she would've gone down if Keith hadn't lunged, catching her forearm and hauling her into his arms. "Easy. I've got you," he said, his low voice a rumble in his deep chest. She nodded and looked up at him.

"You know nothing will ever happen between him and me. I love you. Just you. Only you," she told him. She put a line of iron through her words, because she needed him to believe her.

"I know that." He dropped his lips to hers and kissed her soundly before pulling back and saying, "But if he keeps it up, he's going to have a big problem."

She couldn't help smiling. "A six foot two problem? With sniper training?"

"Yes." He kissed her again, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, holding on to him. The jet was continuing her steep climb, and she knew she should get back to the cockpit, just in case Lance needed help.

"I need to go," she whispered.

He nodded and took hold of her hand, securing her to him. "I'll help you."

"You just want to give Lance another death look."

He threw a saucy, sexy smile back at her, and she blushed. "I want him to remember who you're with, that's all," he said. They climbed the short flight of stairs and entered the cockpit. Lance glanced back at them, and she saw his eyes freeze over.

As she made to walk back to her seat, Keith pulled her into his arms and brought his mouth down to hers with a force that left her breathless. His kiss was bold and deep, and she could barely think when he ended it. He led her to her seat and waited while she strapped back in.

"Reminding her who she's supposed to be with?" Lance asked. His tone was curt.

"No." Keith turned on him, and Allura saw the fire in his eyes as he did. "I'm showing _you_ who she chose to be with. Remember that." He kissed the top of Allura's head before leaving the cockpit, and she focused on the instrument panel so she wouldn't have to look at Lance, fearing he'd be mad.

"He sure is easy to get riled up," Lance said, his tone light. She looked at him.

"You should quit while you're still aboard," she told him.

"You should know I'll never quit." He looked her in the eyes. "Fighter pilots don't quit."

She knew that was true. "Well, neither do Marines, Rocks. And he's a hell of a shot, so I guess I'd think twice about messing with me." She put some heat in her voice, because she liked him and didn't want him to get thrown off the ship.

He shrugged. "Some people are worth fighting for." When she opened her mouth, he waved his hand at her, adding, "I know, I know. You're with him. I get it. But that doesn't mean I can't try." He smiled. "And maybe someday, you'll get tired of that jarhead."

"Not going to happen," she shot back, but smiled at him. They both settled back into their seats, and she tried to clear her head. She knew Keith was it for her. He'd always been it. But it was flattering knowing Lance liked her. _It's not the same, anyway. Keith and I are in love. Lance is probably in lust._ She chuckled inwardly to herself. No other guy had anything on Keith, where she was concerned. And she knew he felt the exact same about her. She snuck a look at Lance; he was sitting back in his seat, his eyes pointed out a side window, just watching as the sky grew darker as they began to climb out of the atmosphere and toward the twinkling and vast stars.

Yeah, she could handle his comments. She just hoped they didn't get him shot or thrown off the space buggy.


	8. Chapter 8

I don't own Voltron or its associated characters.

Wow, seriously, thank you so much for following, favoriting, reading, and reviewing. I am so happy this story is being so well-received. I have big plans in store for our space explorers and the Lions. I'm seeing this as a series, and that will likely include the Vehicle Force in some shape or form. Again, thank you. And I've enjoyed reading all of your guys' stories, too. This is a great fan community!

CALL OF THE LIONS

CHAPTER EIGHT:

Keith rolled over on his bunk bed and tried again to get to sleep. He was tired enough to sleep, but his thoughts kept drifting to the report that they'd gotten an hour ago. They were about to enter the Wyloc galaxy, where the planet Kildarre was. Things had been tense there because of the uprisings on Kildarre, and they had received a report that the Alliance was authorizing the Winter Fleet to begin moving into position to support the Xerces base. Keith rubbed his hands over his face. Jeff's sister was stationed at Xerces. If the Winter Fleet opened fire, it would mean mass destruction on the planet, which wasn't very large. It was, in fact, the smallest of the Wyloc planets. He huffed out an impatient sigh. It wasn't like he could take his team in and rescue Madi, even though the thought kept crossing his mind. Hawkins, and the Alliance, would have his head.

"Not sleeping yet?" Sven asked from his bunk just above Keith.

"No." Keith flipped over on his back.

"Kildarre would be out of the way," Sven said.

"Yeah, I know that."

"Hey, I'm just making conversation. Don't take my head off."

Keith sighed again, wishing Sven would just shut his mouth and get to sleep. They slept in shifts, so that at any time, someone was awake onboard the Starfinder. Lance was also off-duty, but Keith wasn't sure where he was. _Best not be hitting on Allura again._ They'd been in space for two weeks, and he'd caught McClain flirting with her more times than he cared to count. He knew Allura didn't reciprocate the other pilot's advances, but Keith didn't like them. He'd already dressed Lance down for being unprofessional once, but the arrogant Air Force major had basically blown him off. It was annoying as hell.

"We got another four or five days before we'd reach Kildarre," Sven said. His voice was light, as if this topic wasn't a heavy one.

"Just drop it, all right? We have our orders. They don't include a rescue mission."

"It's strange, though, don't you think, that they'd authorize the Winter Fleet? I mean, Kildarre isn't that big. They say they're supporting Xerces, but if you blow up your own intel base, how is that supporting it?" Sven hung his head down over his bunk so he could see Keith. "Doesn't make a lick of sense to me."

Keith glared at him. "I said drop it. It doesn't matter if we agree with what the Alliance is doing. We just do our own job."

Sven frowned. "So if you had the chance to save Jeff's sister from the attack, you wouldn't? That doesn't sound like the Keith Kogane I grew up with." His voice had a hard streak through it.

"They're not attacking the base."

Sven snorted. "We both know that's not true. I think there's something at Xerces the Alliance wants to cover up, and they're just using the rebellion there to their advantage. Then they have a good excuse to use the Winter Fleet, and oh well if they hit Xerces. Everything gets destroyed, including whatever is there that they don't want getting out."

Keith hated to admit it, but what Sven was saying made sense. He'd been surprised when Jeff had said the Winter Fleet was a possibility in solving the problems on Kildarre; the Guns were usually only called in a last-minute resort or strictly as a show of force. "We can't get into the middle of a firefight, Sven. You and I both know that. And yeah, if I thought we could get Madi out of there, with no harm to us, I'd consider it. But that's not going to happen."

"I thought Marines didn't cower from danger."

The retort was sharp and cut through Keith, just like he knew Sven wanted it to, so he didn't respond to it. _Damn it, I wish I'd kept my mouth shut about Madison being at Xerces. I shouldn't have said anything to the rest of the team._ But he'd been upset to find out the Winter Fleet was being moved into position, knowing that the Alliance wouldn't hesitate to use the Guns if needed. _And if there was a chance we could get down there, get Madison out, I'd do it. Jeff would do the same for me with Brian._

An alarm burst through the speakers set into the walls of the bunk room, and both of them sprang off their beds and raced out of the room and down the narrow hallway that led to the main compartments. They found Hunk and Pidge buckling themselves in. Pidge looked sick.

"What's going on?" Keith said.

"Unidentified ship out on the port side," Hunk told him. "Allura tried hailing them three times, and they won't answer. She sent me to get Lance, and he's up in the pit with her now."

"Lance said we'd better buckle in," Pidge added quietly.

Keith frowned; he knew Pidge didn't have any combat experience, and had never been into space before. He was definitely shook up. "I'm sure it's nothing. I'll go to the cockpit and see what's going on." He gave Sven a pointed look, and Sven nodded, buckling himself into the seat next to Pidge. As Keith turned to go forward to the pit, he heard Sven reassuring Pidge that everything would be all right.

Lance was talking on his headset when Keith entered the pit. Allura glanced at him, and he saw the strain in her pretty face. A scowl broke out over his mouth as he stood behind the two pilots.

"I say again, unidentified spacecraft, this is Starfinder 105, requesting your information," Lance said. His voice was surprisingly neutral; Keith figured he would be angry by now.

"They haven't said anything?" Keith asked.

"No, not a thing." Now there was an edge to Lance's voice. He glanced up at Keith. "I think you'd better get Sven to the weapons system, though. I don't like this guy hanging out there – he's close enough for firing range."

Keith nodded and grabbed the radio mike off the wall. Keying it, he said into the system, "Sven, get to the guns. Be ready to fire if needed." His voice was hard and commanding. He knew Sven would immediately obey him.

"Unidentified spacecraft, this is Starfinder 105," Lance said again. His voice was firm but neutral. "Please identify yourself."

They waited tensely in the cockpit for the other ship's crew to respond, but there was nothing, only radio silence. "We've got movement," Allura said a few seconds later. "She's dropping back, drifting off behind us."

"Going into firing position," Lance growled. He tapped his headset. "Sven, you watching this?"

"Yeah, I see her," Sven said, his voice coming over the comm system. "Weapon systems are hot."

Lance turned in his seat to look at Keith, his hazel eyes hard. "What's our protocol here, Chief?"

Keith folded his arms over his chest. He knew the old standard "Do not fire until fired upon" had kind of gone by the wayside when the Alliance moved out into space; no one wanted to get caught out here in a dead machine. "Hail her again. Tell her crew unless they identify themselves, we will consider them hostile and act accordingly." Lance turned around to talk to the other ship, and Keith said into the comm, "Sven, be ready to open up on her."

"Unidentified spacecraft, this is Starfinder 105. Unless you identify yourself to us as friendly, we will consider you hostile and act accordingly," Lance said. His voice remained calm, and Keith wondered at his ability to hold his temper when he wanted to. He'd figured McClain would be hot under the collar by now.

There was a brief crackle of static. Keith tensed. He really hoped the other craft was a friendly; he didn't want to get involved in a firefight out here with no support. Allura and Lance were both staring at the radio transmitter, probably willing the other ship to respond positively.

"They've got guns," Sven said over the comm. His voice was cool and calm. "I see a top and lower turret, guns in the nose."

"Anything activating?" Keith asked.

"No, not yet. She's just hanging out back here."

Lance glanced back at Keith, who gave a solemn nod. "Unidentified spacecraft, this is Starfinder 105. You are now considered a hostile, and if provoked, we will fire on you," Lance said. Now there was a thread of anger through his voice.

Again, there was an answering burst of static over the radio. Sven came over the comm. "Their guns are moving, Keith." His voice was still cool and calm.

Keith's dark eyes went cold and emotionless. If this was how the other ship wanted to play it, fine. He nodded to Lance. "Bring us around, give them a good view of what we've got." To Sven he said, "Turn 'em on, Sven."

"They're lit," Sven told him.

Lance and Allura began bringing their ship around. Lance was murmuring to himself, Keith thought, but then realized the pilot was talking to their ship. Allura was doing the same thing. Keith reached up and put his hands on the bulk head above them, steadying himself in case this went south.

There was another burst of static, and then, "Starfinder 105, this is the _Rabble Rouser_. I say again, this is the _Rabble Rouser_. We are an Alliance Trade Federation ship." The pilot's voice was cool and slow.

"An ATF ship? Way out here?" Lance looked back at Keith. "And armed that heavily?" He shook his head. "Ten bucks says it's a gun-runner."

Keith nodded. He knew that the ATF ships were to stick to highly-governed trading routes, and this was not a trade route. "Ask him why he's out here."

"_Rabble Rouser_, you're out of the trade zones. What's your destination?" Lance asked.

"We're headed to Kildarre." There was a burst of static. "What's an Alliance shuttle doing out here?"

Lance looked back at Keith, a scowl on his face. "I don't like this, Chief. ATF ships don't make runs to Kildarre. It's not one of their trade planets."

"I don't like it either." Keith looked at Allura. "Let me sit there, please."

She nodded and got up, moving out of the way so he could take her seat. She stood in-between the two pilots' chairs. "I'm with Lance, Keith. I'd say these guys are running guns."

"Yeah, that's the feeling I'm getting, too." He keyed the headset. "_Rabble Rouser_, this is Lieutenant Colonel Kogane, commander of this ship. You are in an unauthorized zone, well-off the established trading routes. Please return to the routes." He spoke calmly, without emotion. There was no sense in getting mad – yet.

"They're moving off to the starboard side," Sven called over the comm. "I'm not liking this, Keith."

"Join the club," Lance said over the comm. He looked back at Allura. "Maybe you'd better go strap in, honey. I've got this."

Keith, for once, agreed with McClain. "Go ahead, Ally," he told her over his shoulder. He didn't want to look back at her; he was afraid she would be upset with him.

"Okay. Lance, if you need me, let me know," she said. Her voice was calm and collected, and she left the cockpit.

"_Rabble Rouser_, I say again: please return to the established trade routes," Keith said.

"Starfinder 105, what are you doing way out here? And so well-armed?" The other ship's pilot's voice had picked up a hint of nastiness. "You lookin' for trouble?"

Keith exchanged a look with Lance. "Doesn't sound like he's planning to leave, does it?" Keith said.

"Nope." Lance made a few adjustments on his control panel. "You wanna try to outrun them?"

Keith shook his head. He was a firm believer in fighting if that was an option. And with the amount of armor and weapons their ship had, and with Sven on the weapons system, fighting was their best option. "_Rabble Rouser_, if you do not take your leave, we will fire on you," he said. He keyed the comm. "Sven, be ready."

"I am."

There was nothing over the radio; even the bursts of static had quieted down. Lance's hands gripped his control wheel; Keith knew he was gearing up for evasive maneuvers if it came to that.

"They aren't moving off," Lance finally said.

Keith opened his mouth when Sven shouted, "They're opening fire!"

"Light them up," Keith ordered. Their ship suddenly shook as they took a blast. Lance hit the throttles while bringing the ship around to the port side. The ship shook again, a giant shudder reaching through the length of her.

"Come on, baby, a little more," Lance coaxed. "Sven, you got position?"

"I'm good," Sven said.

There was more shaking; Keith knew it was from Sven firing their weapons system. Lance brought the ship around in a tight turn, murmuring the whole time.

"Hold her steady," Sven said. His voice was tight with adrenaline. "Damn."

"What is it?" Keith asked.

"They've got more than guns." Sven swore again. "I'm seeing at least four missiles."

The control panel in front of Keith and Lance lit up and an alarm sounded. "They've got missile-lock on us." Lance swore.

"Can you shake it?" Keith asked. He was confident in both his team and the ship; Sven had assured him the Starfinder would do well in a fight, since Hawkins had retrofitted it with extra armor and weapons.

Lance gave him a withering look. "Hang on, jarhead," he ordered. He hit the throttles, pushing them all the way forward while easing the ship around. Keith's stomach fell a little when he saw their ship was being brought around on a collision course with the other ship.

His eyes widened. "What the—"

"Let me do my job," Lance said, cutting him off. Claxons went off all the Starfinder.

"Like your style, McClain," Sven said. The ship shook again. "They're moving off."

The missile warning lights went dark on the control panels. Lance shot Keith a look. "What, you've never played chicken in an aircraft before?" The smugness in his voice sparked Keith's temper.

"That was a foolish thing to do," he said, his voice hot. "You took Sven out of firing position, and if they hadn't broken the missile-lock—"

"Well, they did, so relax." Lance tapped his headset. "Stick to the trade routes, _Rabble Rouser_. Starfinder 105 out." He sat back and flashed a cocky grin at Keith. "There you go, Chief. You can go back to bed now."

Keith's fists clenched on their own volition, and he wanted to give in to the urge to wipe McClain's smirk off his face. But he had to admit, the tactic had worked. The other ship was departing the area rapidly.

"Weapons are down," Sven said. "Nice piloting, McClain."

"I know." Lance reached for a bottle of water. He screwed the cap off and took a long drink, then looked sideways at Keith. "What say you get out of that seat and let the lady come keep me company?"

Keith's vision flashed red. He leaned toward Lance. "You're off-duty, McClain. Go get some rest."

Lance smirked. "Afraid she likes spending time with me too much? You shouldn't worry – she can't help herself."

Irritation flooded Keith's body. Why, of all the pilots out there, did he end up with such an arrogant SOB? He was about to tell him off, when Allura came back into the cockpit.

"Nice work, Lance," she praised, smiling. "I like that maneuver."

He grinned up at her. "I knew you would, honey. Go ahead, have a seat." Lance looked pointedly at Keith. "The chief was just leaving."

Allura laid a hand on Keith's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You should go rest some more, Keith. You need the sleep." She spoke softly, and Keith sighed. He knew he was exhausted, and that was probably one reason why McClain's attitude was rubbing on him so badly. He got up and moved away from the seats. Putting his arms around her, he tipped her chin up and pressed his mouth to hers, slanting his for better access. Allura made a happy noise in her throat, and satisfaction shot through Keith's body like an arrow. Man, he loved kissing her like this.

When he heard Lance clear his throat for the third time, he eased up and smiled down at Allura. Her lips were slightly swollen, and her eyes a bit glazed. He took pride in being able to make her look that way. "If you need me again, page me," he told her, kissing her forehead.

"Okay." She kissed his cheek and moved into the empty pilot seat. Keith took a moment to throw a triumphant look at Lance before sauntering over to the ladder and descending out of the cockpit. He stretched when he reached the bottom and walked into the first compartment. Hunk and Pidge were unstrapping from their seats.

"I want you two to check over all the electrical and mechanical systems, make sure we didn't take any damage," he told them, his voice firm with a ringing command. They both nodded and turned away, and he settled down into one of the seats, not wanting to go all the way back to the bunk room. He put his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes. The adrenaline rush of combat was already fading, and he was glad they hadn't gotten into a fire fight with the other ship. The damage could've been extensive, and they were a ways out from anywhere repairs could be made. As he sunk lower into the seat, his thoughts wandered to Kildarre and the struggles going on there. He knew if there was any chance at all that they could get in and out, and get Madi, he would do it. But with the Winter Fleet circling, it wouldn't be a simple rescue. _If she even needs to be rescued_, he thought. The Alliance had been known to decimate their own bases if needed, but Xerces was a primary base in the Wyloc galaxy.

He sighed and tried not to think about it. They still had several days of flight before they'd be near Kildarre anyway, and by then, the situation might've blown over. Instead, he thought of his girlfriend, of her soft, compliant lips and tantalizing body. _Yeah, much better._ A small smile crossed his face and he started drifting off into sleep.

"Uh, Commander Kogane?"

Biting back his irritation, Keith sat up and opened his eyes. "Yeah, Pidge?"

Pidge pushed his trendy glasses up further his nose. "I ran diagnostics on the electrical and computer systems to see if we took any damage." He sounded a little nervous.

"And?"

"And I found something, an anomaly." Pidge's voice grew darker, more serious. "I think maybe someone is spying on us."

Keith's gut twisted. He wouldn't put it past Hawkins to spy on them, but why? They were being sent to Arus by Hawkins. "Can you show me?"

"Yeah." Pidge took a few steps back.

Keith got to his feet. "Show me, then." As he followed the younger man out of the compartment and down the short hallway to the electronics control room, the twist in his gut tightened. He had the distinct feeling that this mission wasn't quite as on the up-and-up as Hawkins had made it seem.


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own Voltron or its associated characters.

Here is the next chapter, and even though I love all my readers and reviewers, I am dedicating this particular chapter to Paulina Ann, for asking when CofL was going to be updated again :-) Hope you all enjoy!

CALL OF THE LIONS

CHAPTER NINE:

Keith stood at a computer terminal behind Pidge, who had sat down and was now bringing up a screen with lots of numbers and lines that Keith admittedly knew nothing about. Pidge shoved his glasses up and tapped the screen.

"See this line of code right here?" he asked, glancing up at Keith. He nodded. "It shouldn't exist."

"Why not?" Keith asked.

"Because this type of code isn't used for aircraft electronics of any kind. It's used in tracking software, like what you'd put on a package. Or…" Pidge's voice dropped off, and Keith set his hand on the younger man's shoulder.

"Or what, Pidge?" he asked, his voice firm but quiet. He knew this was a brand-new situation for the computer tech, and though he wasn't going to handle him with kid gloves, he didn't have to be harsh with him, either.

"People." Pidge tapped another line of code. "I checked all the electronics like you asked me to, and noticed the code looked wrong for some reason." He glanced up at Keith again. "Someone put that code in there for tracking us."

"Tracking us how?" Keith asked.

"Our movement, any time we use the radio—"

"So whoever is tracking us heard the exchange with the _Rabble Rouser_."

"Yeah." Pidge turned in his chair to stare at Keith. "Commander Hawkins told me, personally, that this ship's tracking system had been taken out. No one is supposed to know we're here, or where we're going. That other ship could've run into us by accident, but I don't think so." His tenor voice was dark.

"You think they knew we were here." Keith crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, I do. I mean, we're not near any of the trade routes, and that ship was supposedly a trader." Pidge scowled. "I don't believe it. No trader packs that many weapons."

"No, they don't." Keith rubbed his chin pensively. "Can you get that tracker code out of there?"

Pidge sighed. "Yes and no. I can make it think it's not working, but whoever installed it could just reactivate it." He fidgeted with the computer mouse next to the keyboard.

"Okay. Make it think it's not working, and we'll see if someone switches it back on." Keith turned to go, and said over his shoulder, "Good job, Pidge."

"Thanks, Commander." Pidge's youthful face lit up and he turned to the computer system. Keith smiled to himself and left the room.

Fully awake again, and knowing he wouldn't be able to get anymore sleep, he headed back to the mechanical rooms to check on Hunk. The computer news was troubling, but he wasn't going to get too concerned yet. It could've been something Hawkins had left installed on accident, or maybe on-purpose. The run-in with the trader hadn't been too bad, and for now, he saw no reason to panic the rest of the crew. He would tell them about the sketchy code later at dinner.

Hunk was on his back beneath one of the inner engine housings. Keith heard him muttering to himself and waited, leaning back against a work bench and taking in the room. It was clean, something he hadn't seen a lot of with mechanics. Hunk seemed to have everything organized and with fairly easy reach. The big man slid out from beneath the housing and looked up at him. "Hey."

"Hey." Keith frowned a little; he supposed Hunk should call him Commander, but didn't want to make a scene. "Everything okay back here?"

"Yeah, yes and no."

"How much yes and how much no?" Keith asked.

"This one," he reached up and tapped the housing, "took some damage from that other ship. Nothing bad, but she's not at one-hundred percent now, either."

"You can fix it?"

Hunk just leveled a steely look at him, grabbed a wrench, and disappeared back under the housing. Keith scowled; again he wasn't sure exactly what to do. Hunk didn't seem to be belligerent, and he wondered if the big mechanic had always been given some slack, considering how acknowledgeable he was with anything mechanical.

He decided not to say anything and left the engine room, heading back toward the weapons system rooms. Sven was coming up the short hallway, a dark scowl on his face that made Keith draw up short. He'd forgotten over the past ten years how intense his friend could look, how down-right scary his face could get. Sven looked up and saw him and stopped.

"The firing system on the top turret guns is damaged," he said, adding, "which is bad because they're linked by fire control to the tail guns, so now none of the guns work." His voice was a growl. "Whoever their gunner was, he knew exactly where to aim."

"Wait." Keith's chest tightened. "You're saying that ship purposely took out our weapons systems?"

Sven leveled a glare on him. "Yes. That is _exactly_ what I'm saying."

Keith swore and slammed a fist on the wall. "Pidge just told me there's a computer code in the electrical system that shouldn't be there, and someone's using it to track us."

"Beautiful," Sven growled.

"Can you fix the guns?"

"With Hunk's help, maybe. It's a pretty touchy system." Sven ran a hand over his face. "This isn't good, Keith. We've got no weapons now, until we get them fixed, _if_ we can get them fixed, and someone is tracking us." He leaned against the wall. "I thought this was just supposed to be a routine mission." He snorted and glanced at Keith. "As if any mission is ever _routine_."

"I know." Keith sighed. "Hunk said one of the engines took some damage, and he's working on that."

"I don't suppose it's too far-fetched to believe that someone doesn't want us making it to Arus," Sven said. His voice was dark with anger.

"Maybe not. See what you can do on your own with the firing system, and when Hunk is done with the engine, I'll have him help you. We'll talk about all this tonight at dinner." Keith turned to go, and added over his shoulder, "We're not letting anyone stop us from doing our job."

He went forward toward the cockpit, and as he approached, he could hear Allura's musical laugh. It did something to him, somewhere deep in his soul. He'd always loved the sound of her laughter. Knowing that it was McClain making her laugh, though, drove spikes of anger through him. He climbed the short ladder and Allura turned her head and smiled at him, a smile that he knew was only ever meant for him.

"Hey, handsome," she said, her smile deepening. But it fell away a moment later, and she asked, "What's wrong?"

"Never could hide anything from you," he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Do you two have to do the teenagers-in-love routine every time you come up here?" Lance growled, glancing at him.

"Yes." Keith smirked at him. But the gravity of their situation soon bled the smile from his face. "There are some things going on you two need to be aware of. The _Rabble Rouser_ damaged an engine and shot out our weapons systems, and Pidge told me someone installed tracking software in our electronics system." He spoke quietly, his voice deep and heavy.

"You think the _Rabble Rouser_ damaged the engine and weapons system purposely?" Lance asked. There was an edge to his voice.

"I do." Keith nodded. "We'll discuss it more at dinner. For now though, any other ship we see we need to automatically assume it's hostile." He turned to Allura and tipped her chin up so he could kiss her. This time though, he didn't linger like he wanted to. He had other things that he needed to do. "I'll see you two later."

Going back down the ladder, he headed for the small compartment that was his office. Once there, he shut the door and turned on his small laptop computer. He didn't like the fact that their weapons were out-of-order. That made him the most uneasy. Having an engine damaged, when they still had five functioning normally, wasn't as troubling. And being tracked – well, if Pidge managed to keep the tracker code inactive, that wasn't going to be much of an issue, either. _If_ he could keep it inactive – otherwise, they'd need to find a way to disable the code altogether. Keith stretched his arms way up over his head as he waited for the computer to boot.

"Hey." Allura stepped into the office and gave him a small smile.

"Hey yourself." He indicated the only other chair in the small office. "Everything okay up front?" He worried that McClain might've said or done something to upset her.

"It is." She sat down and bit her lip.

"What is it, sweetheart?" He reached over and took her hand and squeezed it gently.

"I'm worried about what's going on," she quietly confessed. "It sounds like someone really doesn't want us getting to Arus."

"You sound like Sven. That's pretty much what he told me." Keith sat back and rubbed a hand over his face. "I think we're okay so far. Hunk can fix the engine, and Pidge said he can deactivate the line of tracking code. What worries me the most is the weapons system."

"Can Sven fix it?"

"Maybe. He said it's pretty touchy. But if Hunk helps him…" Keith sighed and glanced at his computer. He put his password in and looked back at her. "What puzzles me the most is why anyone would go after us. Hawkins made it sound like this mission was under wraps – no one but he and a few other officers know about it."

Allura cocked her head to the side, and it was suddenly hard for him to concentrate on what she was saying. Her blonde hair, pulled back in a slim pink barrette, fell in a wave to her back, and with her head like that, some of it cascaded over her right shoulder. He wanted to touch it. "Keith? Did you hear me?" she asked, and from her tone, he could tell she wasn't impressed.

"I'm sorry, love. What?" he asked, aware that he was blushing.

"Oh Keith, come on. You need to keep your head in the game," she chastised. "I asked if you think the _Rabble Rouser_ was supposed to report on us."

"It's possible. I think they knew where we were going to be, and how to take out our weapons system," he said.

"Do you think they'll be back?" she asked. Her eyes were serious, and she presented a pretty imposing picture.

"If they do, we'll run them off again." He thought back to McClain's daring move. As annoying as the Air Force pilot was, and as cocky, he knew what he was doing in that situation. "McClain can always threaten to run them over again," he said, his tone surly.

Allura smiled. "I know he bothers you, but he is a great pilot. And that maneuver probably saved us more fighting." She spoke kindly.

"Yeah, it probably did." He sighed. "You know how I feel about him flirting with you, though. And it's not your fault, and you don't reciprocate. I know that, too. But damn it, Ally, I want to punch him out most of the time." His voice was a low growl by the end, and she got out of her chair and sat down in his lap, curling up against him like a lithe cat. He wrapped his arms tight around her, wishing he could just keep her here, safe and protected in his arms.

"You do know you're the only guy for me, right?" she whispered. "I know he bothers you, but you have nothing to worry about."

"I know that." But he still felt like he needed to assert himself every now and then – or whenever he went up into the cockpit. "I've talked to him once already about it."

"And he was worse after that," she told him. "He hates being dressed down."

"He should be used to it by now." Keith glanced at his computer, and he clicked the mouse over his email link. There was nothing new in his email, and he wondered why he'd thought there would be. It wasn't like Hawkins would've sent him any information. The Galaxy Alliance commander had told them they were on their own out here. _But if that's really true, who is tracking us? And why? Is there someone who doesn't want us to find Voltron?_

"I've gotta get back to the cockpit, babe," Allura said, starting to push herself out of his arms. But Keith simply held her there, not allowing her to wiggle her slender body out of his hold. "Keith—"

"McClain can handle the jet himself for a while. I don't get to spend much time with you," he said. His voice was softer than it had been, and he smiled at her when she twisted around to look at him. Her eyes widened slightly at the look in his own, and then he was kissing her, one hand coming up to tangle in her sun-spun hair, holding her steady. She sighed, and he kissed her deeper, wanting her to remember, always, who she was with. He never thought of it as owning her or anything so degrading – he knew she _chose_ to be with him, and he liked it that way. He chose to be with her, too. Allura's kisses were always passionate, but this one was so intense, so hellaciously _hot_, that he could barely breathe. Yet he couldn't stop kissing her, either. Finally, she pulled back, gasping, and he breathed deeply too, watching her. "You okay?" he whispered, running one strong hand up and down her back.

She nodded, a pretty blush on her cheeks. "Um, sorry, that kind of got out-of-hand," she whispered.

"No need to apologize, honey. I enjoyed it every bit as much as you did," he told her softly. There was an abrupt knock on the door, and she scrambled out of his lap, sweeping her small hands over her hair, while he jumped up to pull the door open.

Pidge stood there, hands at his sides. His eyes suddenly widened, and a big red blush crawled up his neck and spread to his face. "Uh, um, I-I'm sorry, Commander. I-I didn't know you were…um, busy," he said, his voice quiet and full of embarrassment.

Allura stepped out and squeezed his thin shoulders. "We weren't too busy – we were just talking about the _Rabble Rouser_ and whether or not someone is tracking us," she told him, her voice soft.

"Oh." Pidge quickly nodded. "Well, speaking of someone tracking us, Commander, I was able to deactivate that line of code," he said.

"Good," Keith said quickly. He was glad Allura had been able to recover so fast – his own heart was still racing. "Let me know if someone reactivates it."

"I will." Pidge nodded and turned to go, adding over his shoulder slyly, "Carry on, Commander."

Keith's mouth dropped open and Allura let out a startled giggle. They both watched the young technician saunter down the hall, a jauntiness to his steps. "I'll be damned," Keith finally said, laughing. "I didn't think he had that in him!"

"Me either," Allura said, giggling some more. She turned to Keith and stood on her tiptoes, pressing a firm kiss to his cheek. "I really need to get back. I'll see you at dinner, okay?"

"Okay." Keith watched her go for a few seconds before returning to his office. He sat down and saw that he had one new email, from Jeff. Frowning, he opened it, not knowing what to expect.

"_Keith, I heard from Madi an hour ago. She said the Winter Fleet is moving in. I don't like that, and neither does she. She's nervous, because she thinks the Alliance is going to strafe down Xerces. I'm not sure why she thinks that, but she must know something. She is AIC, after all. Anyway, I really hate to ask because I know Kildarre is out of your way, and it would be dangerous as hell, but if there's any way you could get in and get her out of there, I would owe you my life. Delete this after you read it – I don't want to get you and your team in trouble. Hope it's going well out there". –Jeff_

Keith sighed, a heavy weight settling into his stomach. He wanted to help Jeff out, and couldn't stand the thought of the pretty honey-blonde getting killed in an attack on her base, but could they really get in and out? They'd have to get past the Winter Fleet and that in and of itself wouldn't be easy. It would probably be harder than getting to Arus and finding Voltron. _Aw, damn it._ He deleted the email and closed his eyes. He knew he should at least try to get to Madi, but he couldn't jeopardize this mission, either. _So what do I do? Just leave her out there on Kildarre and hope the Alliance doesn't roast Xerces? Or do we go in and hope we get her and ourselves out?_ He figured he could count Allura and Sven in for a rescue mission, but he didn't know how the other three would feel. And rightly so – they weren't out here to risk their lives on a rescue mission. They were out here risking their lives to find an old war relic.

Heaving a heavy sigh, he shut down the computer and got to his feet. He'd bring it up at dinner later and see what the rest of his team had to say. With that thought, he left his office and headed back to see how Hunk was coming along on the damaged engine.


	10. Chapter 10

I do not own Voltron or any of its associated characters.

I want to thank everyone who is reading "Call of the Lions;" it's amazing to me how much the story has taken off, especially being an A/U. This chapter goes to Sunshineleo, who said she couldn't wait a whole week to read another chapter. This chapter is a little more serious in the relationship department between Keith and Allura, because the component of sex is brought up. I realize some readers may be hoping for some sex scenes, but if you've read anything else I've wrote, you'll see that I don't write those. I'm a Christian, and I do believe in people being married before they have sex. Hopefully my revealing that doesn't damper your enthusiasm for the story, and if it does, I hope you'll drop the story rather than writing reviews and complaining to me. We all have our differing opinions - I won't force mine on you, but this is MY story.

However, I will foreshadow a little for you and just say that a certain blonde pilot is thinking of wedding bells...

CALL OF THE LIONS

CHAPTER TEN:

Allura picked at her food, her eyes on Keith. Her boyfriend had been edgy since the earlier run-in with the _Rabble Rouser_, which was understandable. The other ship had damaged their weapons system and one of the engines. Hunk had gotten the engine fixed, but he and Sven were still having problems with the weapons system. Keith looked up and caught her eyes; he tried to smile, but it was an epic fail.

Before she could say anything to him, though, Lance asked Pidge, "That tracker code staying dormant?"

Pidge swallowed his food and nodded. "So far it is."

"Good. We don't need anyone following our moves." Lance drained his coffee cup and looked at Keith. "What's got you so upset? I mean besides the obvious." His voice was calm.

Keith set his hands down on the table. "I got an email from Jeff Dukane. He told me what we already know: the Winter Fleet is approaching Kildarre. He told me Madi is pretty sure the Fleet will take out Xerces, and he asked me, if there was any way possible at all, to go in and get her." He looked around at all of them, a measuring look in his dark eyes. "It is out of our flight path, and would be incredibly dangerous."

The others were all silent; Allura could tell each was weighing a rescue mission in their minds. Kildarre _was_ out of their way – but not horribly so. And if no one was tracking them, who would know about it? _As long as we can get past the Guns._ That would be the hardest and trickiest part – sneaking on and off Kildarre without being picked up on radar by the Winter Fleet.

"You think we could get past the Guns?" Pidge asked.

"Doubtful," Lance told him. He leaned back in his chair, tilting back on two legs. "The Guns aren't all that fast, but they hit hard and they've got range. And it would be suicide to mess with them." His tone dared anyone to contradict him.

"And no offense to Jeff or his sister, but they aren't ours," Hunk added. He looked around at all of them. "We've got our mission."

"So no go on a rescue mission for you two," Keith said. "Sven? Allura? Pidge?"

"If we had our weapons, maybe," Sven said, rubbing his chin. "But I've got to agree with Lance and Hunk on this one. If we don't have guns, then we need speed, and this boat isn't exactly quick. And no speed _or _guns?" Sven looked at Keith and shook his head. "Suicide."

Keith nodded and looked at Allura and Pidge. "You guys?"

Allura sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. "I agree with what the others have said, that it would be hard to get past the Fleet. And we do have our own mission. Getting Voltron back is our task, and I have a lot riding on succeeding." She looked at the rest of her teammates. "But we weren't given any time restraints for this mission, and Kildarre wouldn't take us that far out of our path."

"So you want to risk your life over someone who isn't part of our crew or mission? Why?" Hunk asked.

"Why? Because she's backing her boyfriend," Lance said. There was heat in his voice, and he stared at Allura.

She glared at him. "That is not the reason," she argued. She saw Keith open his mouth and held her hand up, asking him to remain quiet. He frowned but nodded. "I know the weapons are down, and we're not that fast. But we've got time to get them working again, and we can fly smart, smart enough that the Fleet wouldn't catch us," she said.

Lance snorted. "Really? You don't think they'd pick us up on their radar the second we entered Kildarre air space?"

Allura's temper was running hot, but she refused to let it rule what came out of her mouth. She took a deep breath. "The Lance McClain I've flown with before wouldn't hesitate to take on a dangerous mission, especially if he was doing it to save a pretty girl," she said, her voice cool.

He scowled at her. "A pretty girl? How do you know she's pretty?"

Allura let a small smile play around her mouth. "I've seen pictures of her. She's gorgeous, actually."

Keith pulled out his cell phone, hit a few buttons, and handed it to Lance. Lance's mouth dropped open. "Damn."

"Told ya," Allura said. She glanced at Keith, a smug look on her face. "Now come on, Lance. You and I together? We can run circles around the Guns."

He handed Keith's phone to Hunk and looked at her. To her surprise, there was some trepidation in his hazel eyes. "I don't know about that, AC. The Guns catch us, they'll just take us out. No questions asked."

She looked over at Pidge, who was fidgeting with his hands. "Pidge? What do you think?"

He looked up at her, his eyes serious behind his trendy glasses. "I'm all for rescuing someone who needs our help, Allura, but this doesn't sound like we'd make it out alive. And you said before we have our own mission, and that you have a lot riding on it." He shrugged his thin shoulders. "I don't think we should do it."

She sighed and looked at Sven. "And you? You're agreeing with Lance?"

He nodded. "I am, honey. I'd love to go blazing in there and rescue Jeff's sister, but not at the cost of our own lives. It's not our fight, and the Alliance must have a good reason for burning Xerces down if that's what happens." His voice was matter-of-fact, but not unkind. "Sorry, Ally."

She nodded and looked at Keith, who was watching her with concern in his deep brown eyes. "I think we should go," she said. Her voice was flat.

"And risk everything?" Hunk asked. He took a drink and set the cup down hard. "You realize if we take any damage who will be fixing it." He pointed his thumb at his chest. "Me. And the kid." He nodded at Pidge.

"I know that." Allura took another deep breath. "And I know that Madi Dukane is not part of our mission. But here's the thing, boys: why would the Alliance be willing to burn down Xerces, only a couple years after they reopened it? And why call in the Winter Fleet? There are a bunch of planets facing rebellion every day, so why does Kildarre matter so much? Don't you find it a _little_ suspicious that the Alliance is planning to use the Guns in response to some rebelling?" She looked at each of the men, meeting their gazes. "Something is going on at Xerces, or there's someone on that base that the Alliance is afraid of. I think _that's _why they brought in the Winter Fleet. You guys don't know Madi. I don't even know her. But Keith knows her brother. And Madi is a part of the Alliance, just like we are. Besides all that, I really doubt any of you are afraid of a fight. I think if you were, Commander Hawkins wouldn't have brought you on this team." She sat back and picked up her glass, draining the rest of her water in a long swallow. When she set it down, she purposely looked at Keith, ignoring the others.

He was smiling at her, his eyes warm with a mix of admiration and love. She smiled back, and then looked at the others. Hunk and Pidge were just staring at the table, and Sven's eyes were closed, as if deliberating something with himself. But Lance was grinning at her.

"Well hell, AC. Why didn't you just start off with that little speech?" he said. His grin faded, and he added, "You're right. It does seem suspicious, and it would be horrible if we let that beautiful girl get injured or worse." His voice was hard. He looked at Keith. "Count me in, Captain."

Keith nodded. "Thank you." He glanced around at the other men. "What do you guys want to do?"

"I'm guessing since you and they want to go, we're going no matter what we say," Hunk said. His voice was a bit cold, and Allura frowned, not understanding his hesitancy.

"That's not true," Keith told him. "But I will say this: I agree that something is going on with the Alliance and Xerces, and Jeff is a good friend. He's saved my skin a few times, and I feel I owe it to him to help his sister."

Hunk shrugged his massive shoulders. "We might as well go in, then."

"Why the surliness?" Allura asked, unable to take the big man's attitude. "I mean, yes, it's going to be a dangerous run. We all know that. But why the attitude?"

He glanced at her and sighed. "I guess I might as well just say it, because you're all probably thinking I'm a being a jerk." He leaned forward, fisting his hands on the table. "The last Army company I was part of was run by a guy that had no business being in command. I was in a tank company, the top mechanic. Our sergeant was some kind of nutcase, and got us into a fight that we weren't supposed to be in." He sighed and rubbed a big hand down his face. "We lost four tanks and the crews in 'em. I got part of the blame for losing them because I was the head mechanic in the unit, and the sergeant said I wasn't keeping the weapons up to snuff." The pain in his voice, the heavy resignation, was almost more than Allura could bear. She flashed back in her mind to her own night of shame, and felt an extremely intense bond with the big mechanic.

"But the Army went over my records of upkeep and saw that I was, in no way, responsible for what had happened. It didn't matter; the damage was done, and the Army pulled me out of that company and stuck me on a back base out in Montana. I was there until Hawkins found me." He shrugged his shoulders again, and looked at Keith. "This is my first time back as part of a company. Guess I'm not exactly fond of answering to anyone yet."

Keith leaned forward in his chair. "I'm sorry they did that to you, Hunk. Thank you for explaining yourself."

Hunk nodded. "I knew when you were in the engine room I wasn't giving you the respect you deserve as our commander – I just wasn't ready to give it yet."

Keith nodded. "I hope that I earn your respect, Hunk. I know it's not something easily given." He looked at everyone else, his gaze lingering on Sven. "Sven?"

Sven sighed and pointed down the table at Allura. "I would say no to this crazy plan, but she gave a convincing argument." He smiled. "I'm in – as long as we get the guns working again. I don't want to go into Kildarre air space without firepower."

"Pidge?" Keith looked at his youngest crew member.

The technician fidgeted in his seat before saying, "I guess I'm in. I mean, I want to help this girl out, but I'm still nervous about the tracking code."

"I get that," Keith said. "Just keep your eyes on it, and deactivate it any time it comes on – _if_ it comes back on." He got to his feet. "All right then – Sven, Hunk, get the weapons back online as soon as you can. Lance, Allura, set a trajectory path for Kildarre. And Pidge – watch that code." He turned to go, and added over a broad shoulder, "And get some rest. We're all going to need to be top form when we go in for Madi."

Allura watched him leave the small dining room, and sagged in her chair. It felt like she'd just won a major battle, and her mind was tired. Lance leaned across the table to her. "Nice job, sweetheart." He studied her for a moment. "You look exhausted. Go get some rest." His tone had a commanding ring to it – she knew he wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Okay," she said. She got up and as she walked by Sven, he reached out and caught her hand, pulling her to his side. She looked down at him, into those crystal midnight-blue eyes, and said, "What?"

He too studied her for a moment, and said, "I agree with Lance. You look worn-out. Why don't you sleep all tonight? He can handle the bridge." He glanced down the table at Lance, who immediately nodded.

"He's right, AC. Just sleep tonight."

She tried to cover a yawn and failed, so she nodded and said, "We'll see. If I wake up and can't get back to sleep, I'll come up to the pit." Sven let go of her hand and she walked out of the dining room and turned down the short hallway that led to their sleeping quarters. She wondered briefly where Keith had gone, but was too tired to go hunt him down. Falling into her bunk, she curled up and pulled the thin blanket over her. A dull ache behind her eyes was just starting to get annoying, but she was too comfortable and sleepy to get up and take something for it. She drifted off into sleep.

She wasn't sure what time it was, or how long she'd been out, but when she awoke there was a heavier blanket draped over her, and a glass of water with an aspirin tablet sat on the small table near her head. She smiled to herself. _Keith. I swear, how does he know?_ She took the aspirin and swallowed it down, then snuggled back beneath the blankets. A few minutes later, she heard soft footfalls approaching, and soon Keith lowered himself down to her bed. He reached out and ran a hand across her forehead.

"Feeling any better?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Still have a headache, but some very nice man left me an aspirin for it and brought me a heavier blanket."

He smiled. "You looked cold, but you were flushed. I just figured you weren't feeling the best." He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "By the way, thank you for helping rally the troops back there."

She gave a wan smile. "It's not right to just leave Jeff's sister at Xerces, and something weird is going on. Even with us, with the tracking code and the _Rabble Rouser_. The guys just needed some inspiration, that's all."

He nodded, and a frown slipped over his dark handsome features. "I know it's not going to be an easy run, but I have the feeling the Guns are just going to blow up everything, and Madi means the world to Jeff." He paused, took hold of her hand and squeezed it. "If it was Brian or Luke, we'd go in."

"We would." Her eyes drooped closed for a second, and she had to force them open. Keith leaned down close to her.

"I want you to stay in this bed all night," he said. His voice was quiet, but there was a ring of steel to it. "McClain can handle the cockpit by himself tonight." He gently brushed his lips across hers. "I mean it, Ally."

"I know," she whispered. She was too tired to argue, anyway. "I love you."

He smiled. "I love you too, sweetheart. Get some sleep." He got up and walked away, but added over his shoulder, "Sweet dreams, baby."

She murmured something back, and drifted off again, her headache now soothed. Again she slept hard, hard enough that there were no dreams. When she awoke the second time, she felt much sharper, more ready to be awake. She got up and stretched and finished the glass of water. Glancing at her watch, she saw that it was 0200 hours. _That's enough sleep._ She quickly made her bed and left the bunk room, heading for the cockpit. She knew Lance would be tired, and he needed sleep just as much as she did.

"Hey."

She turned at Keith's voice and winced. He didn't look happy with her. "I'm good, Keith. I'm not tired now." She spoke firmly.

He drew to a stop next to her and tipped her chin up so he could see into her eyes better. "You still look tired, Allura. Go back to bed."

"No." She set her jaw.

His eyes iced down. "I mean it. Go." He took hold of her shoulders and tried to turn her back the other way.

"Keith, stop. I'm fine now, and Lance needs rest too."

He snorted. "He's sleeping in the cockpit. I was just up there. The ship's running on auto."

She sighed. She supposed she could use more sleep, but didn't really want to give in. It wasn't in her nature. The Air Force had made her stronger, and along with that, more head-strong. She knew that. "But if we run into any problems—"

"He can get you on the comm," Keith interrupted. He squeezed her shoulders. "I need you firing on all cylinders, sweetheart. Go back to bed. I know you're still tired."

She knew from his tone and the squint in his dark eyes that he wasn't going to back down, and she realized she was still too tired to argue, so she nodded. Keith's face relaxed and he pulled in to him, wrapping his strong arms around her. She snuggled into his chest and heard him chuckle. "Come on, let's get you back to bed," he said softly. She lifted her head to look up at him.

"Yours or mine?" she asked.

A flare of heat lit his eyes and he let a wicked smile curve over his lips. "It'd better be yours tonight, baby. I've got work to do."

She couldn't help the little flutter of disappointment that went through her. "Okay," she said.

"When we're ready for that, Ally, we'll know," he said. "I want that kind of relationship with you, but not right now." He lowered his mouth so that it just brushed hers. "I love you with all my heart. We don't need to rush into that." And before she could say anything, he was kissing her, deeply. She put one hand on his shoulder and wrapped her other arm around his waist, holding on tight to him. Heat coursed through her body and everything, every single cell inside her, burned. When he pulled away, she couldn't help the little whimper that escaped her.

"Keith," she said, her heart hammering. "You can't kiss me like that then, and not want to do more about it."

He flashed a saucy grin at her. "I do want to do more, but we shouldn't rush it, okay?"

She knew that, and she did admire him for not wanting to rush into things, but the way he made her feel, the heat that still sang through her slender body, was almost more than she could stand. And she herself hadn't been with anyone yet. There had been a couple of guys she'd dated a little more seriously, but nothing had ever progressed to the bedroom. She just hadn't wanted them that way. But Keith – she'd known she'd wanted him for years. Still, they were on a mission, and a far more dangerous one than they'd originally bargained for.

"Hey," he said, tipping her chin up gently. "I love you, Allura Mae. More than anyone in this universe. But I don't want to rush you into sex. I think about it, of course, but we both have jobs to do, and let's face it – it does complicate the relationship. This," he kissed her softly, "needs to be enough right now, okay? Trust me."

"I do trust you." The words were easy to say and true, but she was a little upset he wasn't in a hurry to rush to the bedroom. She knew her mother and father had waited until they'd been married, and Keith's parents had, too, and she knew they could wait that long if needed. Because, of course, they _were_ getting married. "It's just hard to wait," she whispered, watching his beautiful eyes deepen with desire.

"I know. I just want it to be the right time, for both of us." He ran his hand over her hair, smoothing it. "You better get back to sleep. I've gotta email Jeff back—"

"Is that okay to do? What if the tracking code catches it?" All thoughts of being tangled in the sheets with him fled as she thought of some other ship coming to shoot them down.

"I thought about that, and checked with Pidge before he headed to bed," Keith said. "The code is still inactive, so I think it's safe."

"What about Jeff's initial email to you?"

"I checked the time on it – it hit my inbox after Pidge had disabled the code," he told her, and smiled. "Okay, enough questions, sweetheart. Go back to bed." His tone was serious now, and gone was the playfulness in his eyes and demeanor.

She nodded and turned away. "I'll see you later, handsome," she said.

"Later, beautiful."

She walked back to the bunk room and got back into bed. Her body was coming off the high of Keith's kiss, and she sighed to herself. _Maybe we should just get married. I mean, any one of the guys could do it with a form off the net._ The thought made her smile. Maybe she needed to look into that.


	11. Chapter 11

I do not own Voltron or its associated characters.

Wow, I am so amazed at all the reviews and people following this story. Thank you so much for the support. To Shoopdan and "guest," I don't at this point have any intention of writing something religious regarding Allura and Keith's beliefs, but that is an interesting idea - maybe it would work as a KAEX challenge? I had to laugh, "guest," at your pointing out Keith's best talent so far is kissing - yes, our Commander is very, very good at that. But you will soon see how he handles his crew during the mission. This particular part of the mission probably doesn't go as most of you might have assumed it would, but I promise, you'll like what happens! Keep the reviews coming - I love reading what you think :-)

CALL OF THE LIONS

CHAPTER ELEVEN:

Keith stood in the cockpit of the Starfinder, watching as the planet Kildarre grew on the shuttle's radar screen. Now that he and his crew had determined to go in and get Madi, if it was at all possible, he had been up in the pit most of the time. It irritated McClain, and he took a small amount of pleasure in that. The two of them were at least civil to one another in Allura's presence, but when she was out of the cockpit, it was all bets off between them.

"The Winter Fleet," Allura said quietly, reaching a painted finger nail to tap the radar screen. There was a reverent tone in her voice that he understood. The Winter Fleet was the most-feared of all the Alliance's battle fleets; even knowing that they would have to go up against it didn't dampen the excitement of seeing it in formation. It was the reason they were going around Kildarre the opposite way the Fleet was coming in – to try and remain undetected. "It's beautiful," she whispered.

"Beautiful and hard-core deadly," Lance said. There was admiration in his voice.

"We need to stay out of their path," Keith told them. His voice was low and firm. "If they spot us, we might as well wave the white flag."

"We know," Lance said. Allura glanced at him but didn't say anything. "You better go strap in, Captain."

Keith's eyes narrowed. The shuttle cockpit only had the two pilot seats, so there was no good place for him to sit and be safe. He touched Allura's shoulder, and she glanced back at him. "Be careful. You know where the Xerces base is?"

"We do," she said, nodding. "Don't worry."

"Okay." He wanted to kiss her before leaving the pit, but knew it would throw off her concentration. And this mission was too important to do something that could screw it up. He left the pit and went to the first compartment. No one else was there; the others were all at their stations, ready for action. He walked to the comm system mounted on the wall and tapped it. "Pidge, that tracker code offline?"

"Yes, sir." Pidge's voice was firm. "I've been monitoring it. We're a go here, sir."

"Good." Keith tapped the comm again. "Sven, the weapons system ready?"

"Yes." Sven's voice was calm and cool, detached even.

"Good." Keith keyed the comm one more time. "Hunk, how are the engines running?"

"Good to go." The big man's voice was terse, as Keith had known it would be. He was beginning to wonder if he'd ever earn Hunk's respect, and knew he'd just have to keep trying. He hesitated a moment, then hit the comm again to talk to his whole crew. "We are approaching Kildarre air space. Be ready for anything. If the Winter Fleet spots us, we will have to make a run for it." He paused, taking a deep breath. "Once we get docked, I want everyone except for McClain and Allura to meet me in the airlock. We'll get our suits on and go into the base to get Madi." He clicked the comm off and sat down, buckling himself in. Hopefully the ride wasn't going to be bumpy.

It was quiet in the compartment, and he closed his eyes, thinking back on the past two weeks. Sven and Hunk had finally gotten the weapons system up and running again, but he knew their work was temporary at best: they would need to find a repair station where a permanent fix could be made. Hunk was still surly to him, although at least Keith now knew why. He smiled to himself as he thought of how Allura sought out the big man and seemed to be bonding with him. Pidge was proving to be very reliable and capable. The tracking code hadn't come online once, but he knew the tech watched for it constantly. Sven was cool and calm and professional most of the time, and Keith didn't worry about him. But McClain was a constant thorn, hitting on Allura and cloaking himself with an air of arrogance that Keith found insufferable. _And then there's Allura. _His whole body warmed just thinking about her. It was getting harder and harder to keep his hands off her, and he wanted to take her to his room and spend the night with her, but he refused to do something to wreck what they had. He knew he'd be proposing to her as soon as their lives evened out and this Voltron mission was over. He hoped that would be soon.

The intercom crackled to life. "Cap, you might wanna get up here," Lance said.

Keith unbuckled and sprinted out of the compartment, down the short hall, and climbed the short staircase, his heart hammering. He took a few deep breaths to center himself. "What is it?" he asked, moving to stand between the two pilot's seats.

Lance tapped the radar screen. "Problem, right here. All the landing bays at Xerces are showing full. There is a bay about a half-mile from the base that we can get this old girl into, but it's gonna make for a longer run for safety for you guys on the ground."

"What do you want us to do?" Allura asked, glancing back at Keith.

"Do it. Get us into that bay," Keith ordered. "We'll just have to move faster."

"Keith, is there any way Madi knows we're coming?" Allura asked. "Could she meet us at that landing bay?"

"I don't know. The last email I got from Jeff said he had sent two messages to Madi and hadn't heard anything. We'll just have to find her once we get in."

"How?" Lance asked. "I mean, Xerces isn't—"

"Do your job. Get us into that bay." Keith's voice was hard and unyielding now, and he saw Lance's shoulders stiffen in anger.

"Yes sir." McClain's voice was sharp. He swung the control wheel left, and the shuttle took a turn downward, causing Keith to grab the back of Allura's seat to stay upright. She glanced back at him, and he saw the wariness in her eyes.

"We've got it, Keith," she told him.

He nodded, but had no intention of going back to his seat. This was where he belonged right now. Lance brought the shuttle around in a spiral toward the planet, and Keith saw flashes of light erupting from the ground. He leaned forward, over Allura's seat. "Guns on the base?" he asked.

Lance shook his head. "No, not near the base." He scowled as something began beeping furiously. "Damn it. They picked us up."

"Who?" Keith stared at the screens.

"The Guns." Lance rammed the throttles forward and Keith nearly fell backward. He gripped the back of Allura's seat harder. "Go buckle in, Kogane. You're gonna get hurt."

"I'm staying here."

Allura turned in her seat, and Keith saw the flash of temper in her eyes. "Keith, go. We've got this."

He shook his head, determined to stay exactly where he was. "This is my ship, Allura, and my team. I need to see what's going on," he told her. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, or pull rank on her, but he would if he had to. It was about the mission first.

Lance growled something unintelligible beneath his breath, but Keith couldn't tell if it was directed at him or the Guns. The Starfinder broke hard out of its spiral and Lance guided it into level flight. "We might be able to get out of range," he muttered, mostly to himself.

"Can you get to the landing bay without them seeing where we're going?" Keith asked.

"Maybe." Lance's voice was dubious. "Hang on, Captain." He broke the shuttle over hard, sending it into another spiral toward the purple and green spotted planet below. Something threw the shuttle to the side, causing Lance to mutter viciously to himself.

"We got flak," Sven said over the comm. "And one of the Winter Fleet's cruisers is leaving formation." His voice, while calm and cool, still had a slight detectable note of warning in it.

"Turn 'em on, Sven," Keith ordered. "Be ready to fire."

"Guns are hot," Sven confirmed.

"Good." The word came out as a growl, and Keith focused his attention on the larger blip on the radar. "Who's shooting at us from the ground?"

"Not sure. Big guns, though, to reach this high," Allura said, tapping her fingers on small keyboard. "There, about five hundred feet off the base – looks like rebels to me," she said, "judging by the guns themselves. That's not Alliance weaponry."

"We got bigger problems. That cruiser is tracking us," Lance said, scowling. "We need to shake that ship before we get to ground, or we might as well put up a big sign tellin' 'em where we're going." He broke the spiral and began a zig-zag pattern as the cruiser began gaining ground on them. "Aw, hell," Lance growled.

"Sven, if they come any closer, light 'em up," Keith commanded.

"No problem."

"Commander Kogane, the code just reactivated!" Pidge's anxious voice broke over the comm.

"Shut it down, Pidge, now," Keith ordered. He spoke calmly, but his heart was in full-thunder mode. He'd been in plenty of battles, but they'd always been on Earth, on the ground. This was entirely different – if things went south, they would all end up dying in a fiery ball of destruction.

"Xerces is in view," Allura called out.

Lance swore under his breath. He glanced back at Keith. "This is gonna be tight, Cap. Hang on." Gone was his earlier snarkiness – in its place was now ringing command. "AC, you ready for this?"

"Yes," Allura answered, her voice sharp. "Let's do this."

Lance threw the ship over hard while at the same time Allura played the throttles, babying every last bit of speed they had from the big shuttle. "Come on, baby, come on," Lance murmured coaxingly. "That's it, now."

Keith could feel the big ship picking up speed and he prayed it would be enough to clear the cruiser which was gaining on them. Xerces came closer into view, a small base for being Alliance property, and he saw Lance angle the nose of the ship down toward it. Flashes of light erupted from all around the base; Lance swung the Starfinder back and forth, missing the burning balls of light.

"The cruiser just took three in the nose," Sven reported calmly. "It's backing off."

"Probably being recalled," Allura said over the comm.

"Pidge, you got that code offline?" Keith asked, his voice tight with tension.

"Yes sir," Pidge said. He sounded frightened. "But whoever's using it got a good look at where we are before I did."

"Doesn't matter. Just keep it off," Keith said. "Do we have ECM onboard?"

"Yes." Allura reached over and tapped a small screen. "It's on. The problem is that the Fleet's tracking systems are a lot more advanced, and they've seen us now."

"We're just about down," Lance said. He nodded to Allura, and she eased the throttles back, allowing the big shuttle to start drifting down toward a dilapidated-looking landing bay. "Easy now, girl," Lance murmured.

Keith clutched the back of Allura's seat with white knuckles, not because of the pilots' skills, but because the guns outside the base were still shooting at them. _They know we're Alliance – they probably think we're here to try and stop them._ He felt the big ship shudder and heard Sven swear over the comm.

"You want me to take out those guns?" Sven asked.

"No. We're only here to rescue Madi – not start something," Keith told him.

"Almost down," Lance said. "Gear."

"Got it." Allura activated the landing gear controls, and the big ship shuddered again, for a different reason. "Down and locked."

"Here we go," Lance said. He eased the Starfinder down onto the short runway. "Throttles."

"Reversed," Allura said, pulling the throttles back. The Starfinder was rolling, but slowing quickly.

"Get ready to go, Captain," Lance said. "The Guns know where we are – and those rebels aren't happy about us being here. You've got maybe fifteen or twenty minutes and we'll need to go." His voice was terse, and tension radiated through his hazel eyes.

"We're going." Keith keyed the comm. "Meet me in the airlock and get your gear on. Now." He turned to go, and said over his shoulder, "Nice job. Have her ready to go in twenty."

"Yes sir," Allura said. Her voice was low but direct, and when she glanced back at him, he saw that she wanted to say more, but wasn't going to. It was just as well – they both had a mission to complete. He had to find Madi and get her to the ship, and they had to make sure the Starfinder was fired up to get off the planet. He made his way down the ladder and ran down the hall, through the different compartments, until he arrived at the airlock. The others were already there, suiting up. Sven was checking their pistols, and he gave a nod in Keith's direction.

"Won't be easy to find her," he said.

"I know." Keith began pulling his gear on. Kildarre was one of the outer planets whose atmosphere was much like Earth's, and didn't require them to wear pressurizing air suits. He zipped up his flak vest, took one of the pistols Sven offered him and holstered it, and nodded to the others. "We get in, we get her, and we get back here. Twenty minutes from now." He pointed at the door. "Let's go."

Sven reached out and hit the button that would lower the ramp and stood back, Hunk and Pidge at his back. Keith moved to Hunk's side, his muscles tensing and bunching, ready to run down the ramp and toward Xerces. They would just overpower any guards who tried to stop them from entering, if any guards were outside. As the ramp lowered, all four of the men took a step forward in anticipation.

And immediately took a step back and raised their weapons when a young woman met them at the bottom. She was wearing a dark blue jacket with the Alliance insignia, high brown boots, and carried a blaster rifle, which she had slung over one slender shoulder. Her honey-blonde hair was shoved beneath a dark blue Alliance cap, and her hazel eyes were calculating and wary. Keith swallowed his surprise and moved toward her.

"Madi?" he asked quietly. She nodded, keeping distance between them. "I'm Lieutenant Colonel Keith—"

"I know who you are." She took a look back and to the side over her right shoulder. "We need to go now." She began walking up the ramp toward him, her eyes now on the men at the top of the ramp. Keith let her go ahead of him and glanced out, toward Xerces. An explosion suddenly lit the base with orange and red flames, and he realized the Winter Fleet was opening up on it.

"Go!" he shouted to the others. "Sven, get to the guns. Hunk, keep the engines revved as high as they'll go – we'll need all of their power. Pidge, keep that code down."

"Don't worry about the code," Madi said. She spoke calmly.

Keith turned to her, as did the others. "Why not?" he asked.

She lifted her chin a little. "It was my code."

Keith's jaw dropped but he was quick to recover. "Pidge, make sure the electrical systems are all firing. We need everything working right to get out of here." He gestured to Madi. "Come with me, please." He moved off, not waiting to see if she'd follow – he had a feeling she would. Making his way quickly back down the hallways, he led her to the compartment closest to the cockpit. "You can strap in here until we get out firing range," he told her. She stood at attention, her hands resting behind her back.

"Thank you for coming to rescue me," she said. Her eyes were steady on him, but he saw she was still wary. "Jeff told me you're a good guy, one of the best he's known."

He smiled. "You're welcome. Your brother isn't so bad himself." He motioned to one of the seats. "Please, strap in. We'll be moving soon."

She nodded and sat down, setting her rifle down across her lap. She looked up at him. "The Winter Fleet will destroy the base, if not most of the surrounding territory." She spoke in a soft voice, but it was matter-of-fact.

He nodded. "We're going." He turned and went down the short hallway, climbed the ladder, and walked up between the two pilots, who both gave him surprised looks.

"Damn, that was fast. I figured it would be another ten minutes," Lance said. He waved out the front windscreen of the shuttle. "Winter's opening up on it already."

"Yeah, we saw. Get us in the air," Keith ordered. He briefly touched Allura's shoulder, and she threw him a quick smile.

"Everyone all right?" she asked.

"Yeah, we're good." Keith remembered Jeff having told him Madi had been injured, but she had looked all right to him. He would ask her once they were back out in open space if she was okay.

Lance keyed the comm. "Buckle up boys and girls." He nodded to Allura and she slowly brought the throttles forward, the big shuttle's engines whining as they revved. The Starfinder began moving out of the open bay, and Lance pointed toward Xerces. "We might be okay – they're really working the base over."

Xerces was burning, the flames bright and tall and fierce. Keith squinted just looking at it. His breath caught in his chest as he thought of him and his men in there, trying desperately to find a girl that none of them even knew. _If Madi hadn't met us here, we'd be dead. We'd have died on that base._ He knew the truth of that like he knew the shape and feel of Allura's lips. The flak guns on the outskirts of the base were still firing, but he saw one of them go up in a staccato burst of fire as an Alliance SF-8 Stargazer made a pass on it.

"We need to go, now," he ordered.

"We're on it," Lance said. He was hyper-focused as he brought the Starfinder out to the last open runway. Glancing at Allura, he added, "Hit me."

She nodded and slammed the throttles forward as she took a strong grip on her control wheel. The big space jet rolled down the runway, its engines howling, and both pilots hauled back on their wheels, pulling the nose of the jet upward into the sky. Keith hung on, grim-faced, knowing if the Fleet saw them leaving now, they were done for. The SF-8s would knock them out of the air like they were a giant gnat. Up, up, up came the nose until the Starfinder was completely airborne.

"We got company," Sven said. "Orders?"

"If they move on us, take them down," Keith said. His voice was firm, hard – he needed his crew to know he was in-command of the situation. "Jammers on, Pidge?"

"Yes, sir." Pidge's response was immediate. "Their radar won't be able to pinpoint as well."

"They can see us." Lance's voice was hard. "They won't need radar to shoot us down. Hang on." He threw the control wheel to the left and the Starfinder banked over hard. Even as it was diving, he swung the ship into a spiraling climb. "AC, ACM."

"On it." Allura reached over to her right and flipped a switch. A small control panel lit up. "ACM ready."

"Good." Lance looked back at Keith. "I know you wanna watch, Cap, but this is going to be rougher than before. You better strap in."

"Go, Keith," Allura added before he could protest. "We've got this."

He knew they did, and he knew he could count on his crew. He squeezed her shoulder and climbed back down the ladder, figuring he might as well go sit with Madi. She was probably wondering what was going on. He opened the door to the compartment and went in to sit a couple of seats down from her. She glanced at him, but said nothing.

"We've got two of the best pilots in the Air Force flying this thing," he told her, his voice calm.

She nodded. "I know."

He frowned and said, "You said before that the tracker code was yours. How? Why did you have it on our ship?"

She looked down at the rifle in her lap, and a sense of unease shifted through Keith. Was he right in bringing her onboard his ship? "I know what you're after, in the Denubian Galaxy." Her eyes met his, and he swallowed hard.

"What do you mean?" he asked, striving to remain cool.

She breathed out a quiet sigh. "You're going after Voltron, Lieutenant Colonel Kogane. And I needed a ride to Arus. I had the tracker code installed so I would know when you were closing in on Kildarre airspace. You didn't wonder why I met you in the landing bay? Jeff knew you would come after me, because that's the kind of man you are." She spoke in a quiet, calm voice. "And he was proven right."

Keith felt his jaw start to drop and consciously held it up. He couldn't let Madi see how much she'd rattled him, but he could already tell she knew. She was in the AIC, after all – a spy of the highest order. "I don't know how you know what you do, but I won't let you jeopardize our mission to Arus," he told her. His voice was hard.

She gave him a soft smile. "You don't have to worry about me doing something to harm you, your crew, or your mission, Commander. I'm as interested in Voltron as you are. Or, at least, Commander Hawkins." She shifted the rifle around on her lap and glanced at him again, adding, "I have information that will be invaluable to you and yours."

He took a deep breath, digesting what she'd just said. _How is it she knows about Voltron? And Hawkins? And what information does she have? _As the questions flashed through his mind, and he stared at the young spy, he wondered just what in hell he'd gotten them all into.


	12. Chapter 12

I don't own Voltron or its associated characters.

So, this chapter is a bit of a cliffhanger, but I won't have much time to work on CotL this week, and I really wanted to get this next chapter up. I'm dedicating it to Sunshineleo for being so gracious in her last review, and for wanting another chapter quickly. To "guest": I almost laughed out loud at your suggestion that Keith should be spanked for taking his entire team in blind to rescue Madi :-) I think you'll see that she will be a good addition to the team, in particular because of what she knows.

Enjoy :-) And please leave a review - because I'll be honest: the more reviews I get, the more I want to work on the story. Cubbie asked me how many chapters I'm planning it to be, and I don't know. I'll know when I get there, but it's going to be long, and it will have at least one sequel.

CALL OF THE LIONS

CHAPTER TWELVE:

Allura flipped the switch and the ECM came alive. It would help mess up the radars on the Winter Fleet ships and fighters, and they needed all the help they could get. She glanced at Lance; his face was taut with tension, his jaw clenched. If anyone could get them out of this situation, it was him.

"I swear, this girl better be worth all this," Lance growled as he brought the Starfinder around hard in a climbing left-hand turn. "ACM?"

"Hot," she affirmed. She jockeyed her own controls, helping him bring the big shuttle around. Two bright bursts of white light shot across their nose, and she twitched, feeling a familiar sense of rightness flood through her. She knew it was the adrenaline feeding into her system. She loved a good dog fight.

A shake went through the Starfinder's big body, and Sven said, "Guns are hot, guns are a-go." His voice was cool, collected, just like it needed to be.

"We need more climb," Lance said, glancing at Allura. Together, they yanked the control wheels back and lifted the shuttle's nose. Another shake went through the Starfinder, and Lance swore. "She's gonna get shot-up at this rate. Come on!"

Allura remained silent, knowing he was just venting. The Starfinder, for as big as she was, had a good rate of climb, and she knew the Winter Fleet's main objective was Kildarre. She figured the SF-8s would be recalled back to their home ships soon. They leveled out the shuttle and she quietly inhaled, a deep steadying breath, and glanced at Lance. He didn't look at frustrated as he had a few seconds ago.

"Fighters are going home," Sven reported. "I got one of them."

"Good." Lance leaned over the control wheel and adjusted the trim a little. He looked at Allura. "Nice job, AC." He rubbed his hands over his face. "Not out of the woods yet, but close."

She nodded. The Fleet would still be trying to track them; an unidentified shuttled landing and then immediately taking off from Kildarre would be suspicious, and she was sure they wouldn't let them go just yet.

"Two cruisers have dropped out of formation." Sven's voice came through the comm, not sounding quite as calm. "We got more speed?"

"Yeah, a little," Lance shot back. He swore under his breath and looked over at Allura. "We need to open her up."

She nodded and touched the throttles, glancing at him. He nodded, and she pushed them forward as far as they'd go, and then lifted one finger from them to rest on a small green button. "Hang on," she said quietly. She leaned back in her seat, seeing Lance do the same. He nodded at her, and she keyed the comm, "Hang on, people." With a smile, she gently tapped the green button.

The response from the SPJ-5 engines was spontaneous, rocketing the ship forward so fast that both pilots were pushed back hard against their seats. Allura couldn't stop the grin that spread across her beautiful face. It was the SS-84 Starfinder's gift from its engineers – a tiny button that relayed a tremendous boost of power to the SPJ-5s.

"Now we're in business," Lance said, flashing a fetching grin at her before turning back to his controls. "Yeah big girl, that's it. Smoke 'em!"

She laughed, his enthusiasm catching. Using the power booster, dubbed the "Rocket" by Starfinder pilots, was pretty much a couple-shot deal – the added thrust to the engines couldn't be used that often or damage could occur. But she knew in this instance, they needed the Rocket to escape the bigger cruisers. "Sven, how about those cruisers?" she asked.

There was a bark of laughter over the comm, and Sven said, "They're falling back – way back. Where'd you pick up that little trick?"

"It's a little engineering gift," she told him, smiling. Lance leaned over and high-fived her, and she said to him, "Now that – _that_ was fun."

He leaned toward her more and reached out to push a strand of blonde hair back behind her ear. "I could make things fun for you _all_ the time, if you'd let me." His voice was soft and his mouth curved into a seductive smile.

She frowned at him. "You know how I feel about you saying that stuff, Lance."

He shrugged. "Can't help how I feel, babe."

"You need to do better than this." She turned away from him, sighing. Things had only gotten worse instead of better, and she hated that Lance did a lot of it on-purpose, trying to set Keith off.

"Hey, come on," Lance said, reaching to touch her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"No, you're not."

"Well, maybe not. If you weren't so damn hot-"

"Thank you."

The smooth, silky voice had both of them whipping around in their chairs. A beautiful young woman stood directly behind them, her honey-blonde hair caught up beneath an Alliance cap. Her hazel eyes went past both of them to the instrument panels. She moved up in-between their seats and glanced at the throttle controls. "I wondered about that. A Rocket. Good thing this old girl still has hers installed."

"Madi, this is Major Allura Castle and Major Lance McClain," Keith said from behind her. "Guys, this is Agent Madison Dukane." He sounded a little bit amused, but also wary.

"It's nice to meet you," Allura said, putting out her hand. Madi shook it, her grip warm and firm.

"Nice to meet you, too. Jeff said he'd met you once," Madi said.

"It's a pleasure," Lance said, taking her other hand and pressing a gentle kiss to the back of it.

Madi frowned and pulled her hand from his. She looked at Keith. "I'd like to meet your other crew members as soon as possible, and talk to everyone together. That way we're all on the same page." She spoke in a calm voice, but Allura picked up a vague sense of unease in her.

"As soon as we're safe, I'll call everyone together," Keith said, nodding. He leaned over Allura's chair and pressed a soft kiss to her head. "Great job, sweetheart."

"Hey, I'm flying this wreck too," Lance said.

"Nice job, McClain," he told him and gestured to Madi. "I can take you down to meet the other three members of the team."

"Thank you." She nodded to the two pilots and began following Keith toward the ladder.

"Be seeing you soon, gorgeous," Lance called after her.

Madi didn't say anything, and Allura couldn't help but smile a little when Lance sagged in his seat. He was a notorious womanizer, and used to having women fall at his feet. It didn't work on her, of course – Keith was the only man for her. But maybe it wasn't going to work on Jeff's sister, either. _It would probably be good for him to have two unattainable women around,_ she mused, although she wondered how long Madi would be able to hold out. Lance was definitely alluring, with his handsome face, dancing hazel eyes, and leanly-muscled, hard body.

"She seems nice," Allura said, looking at him from the corner of her left eye.

"What? Oh, yeah. Nice." He was frowning, his eyes on his instruments.

A burst of sympathy went through her. "You should talk to her. Really talk, as in, not hitting on her," she told him.

He shrugged. "Who said I'm interested?"

"Because you're you, Rocks. You're interested in any pretty girl," she said.

"Not all of 'em," he said, glancing at her. "Just certain ones."

"Well, this certain one is off-limits to you, and you know that." She reached over and eased the throttles back – they were far enough out of range now that they didn't need to strain the engines so hard.

He sighed and stretched, but didn't say anything else. She didn't care; he knew how she felt about Keith, and about him. One was the love of her life, the other a good friend. And that's all Lance ever would be – to her. To some other girl, he would be the love of _her_ life. She felt certain about that, because she knew the depth of devotion he could give when he wanted to.

"McClain, we okay now?" Keith was back in the cockpit, alone. Allura turned to face him, and he smiled at her, but he seemed tense, and she didn't like that.

"Yeah, we're safe for now," Lance said.

"Good. We need to meet in the conference room – now." Keith turned to go, and Allura got up and followed him, stopping him just before he went down the ladder.

"Keith? You okay?" she asked softly, reaching up to touch his jaw.

"I'm all right," he said, but she knew he wasn't. "Get things set here and meet me in the conference room." He kissed her forehead and went down the ladder.

Allura turned to Lance, who was walking toward her. "I got the auto on – should be good for a while," he told her. "Come on, let's go see what the fuss is about."

"It probably has to do with Madi," she told him, going down the ladder. She waited for him at the bottom. "Maybe she knows something about Voltron or Arus."

"Why would she know anything about that? Hawkins said no one really knows anything except him and those couple of officers who met with us."

She shrugged. "She's AIC. Who knows what kind of intel she has."

"Yeah, fair point." Lance nodded and they walked down the hall, through the first compartment, and into the small conference room, where everyone else was already gathered. Allura sat next to Keith; he reached over and took her hand, squeezing it.

"Go ahead, Madi," he told the agent.

She nodded and clasped her hands behind her back. She'd taken her cap off, and her honey-colored hair flowed over her shoulders like a golden wave. "First off, thank you all for coming to pick me up. As you can see, the Alliance wasted no time in getting rid of Xerces." She took a deep breath and looked at each of them, meeting their eyes. Her gaze seemed to linger on Lance a little more than the others. "I know you're headed to Arus to find Voltron. I know this because I've been researching Voltron for the last five years, and Arus was where Voltron crash-landed."

"Why were you researching Voltron?" Sven asked. Allura glanced at him; he was watching their new passenger with very serious intent.

"It was an assignment I was given from my CO." She took another deep breath. "You were all hand-picked for this mission. All except you," she said, nodding to Allura. "You actually went to Hawkins yourself and asked to join the crew. Right?"

"Yes," Allura said, nodding.

"And McClain got you onboard because he refused to fly without you, right?" Madi asked, her hazel eyes locked on Allura.

"Yes," Allura said, wondering just where exactly the AIC agent was going with this.

"You would've been called for the mission even if he hadn't done that," Madi said.

"Hawkins was pretty adamant he didn't want me," Allura told her. She was frowning, feeling very uncertain about having Madi onboard their ship.

Madi smiled then, and relaxed her stance. "I know he was. But it was all an act, Major, one that he felt he needed to go through to throw certain people off his trail."

"Wait, what?" Lance said. "You mean Hawkins really did want her as the main pilot?"

"Yes," Madi told him. "For a very good reason, a reason that I'll explain as we go along." She reached out for a bottle of water sitting near her, unscrewed the cap, and took a quick drink. "I know you guys don't trust me. I wouldn't trust someone new to my mission, either. But I know things that are going to help you, things I've learned through my research."

"Like what?" Hunk asked. He was leaning back in his chair, looking relaxed, but Allura was sure he was anything but. She didn't think any of them were relaxed, especially now.

Madi leveled her gaze on him. "Like the fact that Voltron is not a single mecha, as you were probably all told."

"It's not?" Pidge asked, staring at Madi. "So what is it, then? We were told it was a mecha."

"It is," Madi said, nodding. "But Voltron itself is made up of five very large single mechas that form together to create Voltron. This is why you need five pilots."

"Five pilots for one mecha?" Lance frowned.

"Yes. Each part of Voltron is responsible for a different weapons system," Madi told him. She paused, and for a moment, looked a little unsure of herself. "It's hard to explain. You see, those who created Voltron used a touch of magic." She bit her lip a little, and looked at the six of them, as if waiting for someone to start laughing. When no one did, she said, "The mecha pilots don't really need to talk to one another to communicate when they're in it. It's a little like mind-reading."

"Mind reading?" Pidge sounded skeptical.

"Yes." Madi gave a firm nod. "I know it sounds weird, but that's how Voltron was made. It needs the five pilots to run the single mechas in order to make up the one large one." She took another swallow of water, and then offered them a small smile. "I know this all sounds really crazy, but I really do know what I'm talking about."

Keith sat forward and rested his hands on the table. "Circle back to the fact that the tracker code was yours. How did you activate it? How did you know what ship we'd be on? And how did you know about our mission?" He spoke calmly, but there was steel underlining every word.

"_You_ were tracking us?" Lance asked, his eyes glued to her.

"Yes, I was running that code. I needed to see where you were, how far you were from Kildarre," she said. She nodded to Keith. "I had someone put the tracking code into your system once your ship you'd be taking was identified, and I activated it from Xerces by remote control."

"Why did you need to know where we were? It's not like you'd have known we were coming for you, not then," Pidge said. He was frowning, and the tension in his youthful face made him look a lot older.

"Yeah, how did you know we'd come for you?" Hunk asked. He was leaning forward now, his massive forearms resting on the table. His voice was cold.

"Because I know what kind of man Lieutenant Colonel Kogane is," Madi said. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Jeff was sure if he told Keith I needed to be rescued, Keith would do it." She spoke in a quiet but determined voice. "And Kildarre wasn't far out of your flight path."

"So you activated the code right before we landed just to see how close we were to you? That's why you met us at the landing bay?" Pidge asked.

"Yes." Madi sighed. "Look, I know none of you know me, and I am an AIC agent, which most people take to mean I'm not trustworthy. But everything had to be done in the shadows because there are people that don't want you to succeed in finding Voltron, or bringing it back to Earth."

"Why? If its weapons systems are so much more advanced, who in the Alliance wouldn't want that?" Pidge asked, frowning. He pushed his glasses up. "And who doesn't want us to find it?"

Madi seemed to swallow hard, and she took another drink before looking at Keith. "I'm pretty tired. I'd like to rest for a while before I explain things more."

Before Keith could say anything, Hunk shook his head and pointed at her. "You need to tell us everything, Agent Dukane. We risked our lives coming to get you, and you can't keep us hanging." His tone was adamant, and he looked at Keith. "She needs to talk."

"I agree with Hunk," Sven said. "She needs to tell us everything she knows."

Allura looked at all the men, and saw that only Lance looked like he might disagree with Hunk. She said quietly, "She's had a long day. I say we let her rest."

Madi shot her a grateful look, but Keith shook his head. "No, I agree with Hunk. Madi, we need to know everything you do. We did risk our lives and our ship coming to get you." His voice, while firm, wasn't unkind, and Madi sighed again but nodded.

"Start with why Allura would need to be on this crew, and why Hawkins had to throw everyone off his trail," Lance told her. He put his booted feet up on the table and kept his gaze firmly on Madi.

Madi shifted on her feet, looking very uncomfortable, and he frowned and got up. He picked up his chair and brought it around the table, setting it down by Madi. "Here. You look dead on your feet," he told her. She sank down into it and looked up at him.

"Thank you," she said, sounding grateful. She waited until Lance had gone back around the table and hopped up to sit on it before saying, "I just want to say that even though all of this I'm going to tell you sounds crazy, I need you to know that my research is sound, and was backed up by my CO." She took a couple of breaths and shifted in her chair to look at Allura. "Major Castle, your bloodline originated on Planet Arus."

Allura frowned, not knowing exactly what to say to that. Keith glanced at her and said to Madi, "Allura is Arusian? Is that what you're saying?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," she said, nodding. "And," she closed her eyes for a second and then reopened them, taking the whole group in with one glance, "so are all of us."


	13. Chapter 13

I don't own Voltron or its associated characters.

Wow, the love for this story is amazing! Thank you so much for all the support and reviews. You'll get some more answers from Madi in this chapter, and another "Huh?!" revelation :-) I was going to make it a little longer, but it was at a natural stopping place, and I didn't want to withhold it from you guys any longer than necessary. Cubbie, this one is for you :-)

CALL OF THE LIONS

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:

"Explain," Keith said, his voice firm. He wasn't about to believe what Madi told him, even if she was Jeff's sister. She needed evidence to back up such a preposterous claim.

"Um, I don't think that's possible," Pidge said, frowning and glancing at the others. "I'm actually from Balto. My family moved to Earth when I was five and my brother was seven."

Madi was quiet for a heartbeat or two, then said, "It is possible, Captain Stoker." She looked at Keith and Allura. "Voltron was built by engineers and mages a hundred and fifty years ago, give or take a couple of years. It was built to defend the planet, since back then, there were no Galaxy Alliance fleets out that far. Arus, as you may or may not know, is not that far from the Drule Empire's main planet of control, Doom."

At this, Lance laughed. "Really? Their main enemy lived on a planet called _Doom_?" He laughed again, and added, "Really? No one else finds this insanely funny? Or just insane?"

"Shut it, McClain," Keith ordered. He nodded at Madi. "Go on, Madi." He shot a warning look at Lance, who scowled but kept quiet.

"As I was saying, Planet Doom is the seat of power in the Drule Empire, and at that time, was ruled by King Taurel. He was arrogant and proud, but also very intelligent. He wanted to capture Arus and add it to the growing list of planets under Doom's control, but he continuously failed to beat Voltron." Madi took a sip from her water bottle and rubbed at her forehead a little, flinching.

Keith knew she'd been injured in the first few attacks on Xerces, and she needed to rest. But her injuries weren't life-threatening, she'd told him earlier, and he wanted to know everything she did. He didn't want to lead his team in blind to Arus. He'd already asked them to risk their lives to save Madi, and didn't want to get any of them injured or worse. "Madi?" he asked.

"I'm okay." She flashed a quick smile. "Anyway, a hundred years ago, when Taurel was sixty, he found information about a powerful mage named Haggar. It was rumored she had the power to rip Voltron to shreds. He sought her out, and she told him she wasn't powerful enough to destroy the mecha, but she could damage it enough it would no longer cause him problems. Taurel made a deal with her, and they struck Arus a few weeks later." She paused and glanced at all of them. "This part is a little hazy. According to the journals we've been able to locate from that time, it appears that Haggar used a spell of some sort and managed to rip apart Voltron into five separate mechas." She waited to see if anyone had questions, and continued. "The five mecha are robot lions, each a different color. They are also sentient."

"Sentient? That seems like a stretch," Lance said. His voice bordered on disbelief.

"Please let me finish," Madi told him. There was a commanding ring in her voice that Keith had to admire, and the fact that McClain actually acquiesced to her was even more impressive. "Yes, the lion mecha are sentient," she continued, sending Lance a warning look. "And they were too badly-damaged for the technicians to fix. They were all right on their own, but couldn't join together to form Voltron again. Their pilots were killed in the resulting crashes, after Haggar broke Voltron apart. The King and Queen of Arus at that time, Ganthor and Meridel, knew what was coming: Taurel would send his fleets and burn Arus to the ground. They had seen it happen to other nearby planets, and now, with Voltron broken, they had no way to defend themselves."

"So they only used this big giant ass-kicking robot to defend themselves?" Lance said. His voice was dark. "Why didn't they try to help the other planets?"

Madi looked at him, and there was a warning in her voice when she spoke. "I've told you to stop interrupting me," she said. "The Arusians were a peaceful people, and Voltron was built only as a defense mechanism. They never intended it to be used as an offensive weapon. And now that their mecha had been defeated, they knew they either had to flee Arus, or be annihilated. They chose to flee."

"And came to Earth," Lance said. His hazel eyes were riveted on Madi, and there was a defiant set to his jaw that set Keith on edge. He wasn't going to have the upstart pilot giving the agent a hard time.

"McClain, knock it off," Keith said. There was an edge of ice in his voice that he figured would be enough to deter Lance, but the pilot merely smirked at him.

"Lay off, Cap. I'm just voicing my concerns with her story, which you gotta admit, sounds pretty far-fetched so far." His tone dared Keith to contradict him.

Before Keith could retort, Allura laid her hand on his arm and looked over at Lance. "That's enough, Rocks. Madi's been through a lot, and I for once would like to hear everything she knows. The more we know, the better off we'll be when we hit Arus." Her tone was no-nonsense, and Lance finally held up his hands in defeat.

"You have the con," he said to Madi, who gave him a tired smile.

"Thank you," she said in a tired but gracious voice to Allura. "The King and Queen chose to come to Earth, and with them, some of their most-trusted advisors and bodyguards. One of the families broke off from them and journeyed to Balto," she said, looking directly at Pidge. His eyes widened behind his glasses, and his mouth dropped open. "It's true. The other families followed their leaders to Earth, but they didn't all remain together. It was believed that Taurel would try to hunt them down, and by staying together, they would make it much easier for him. So they moved away from one another, and assumed new identities, including their last names." She nodded to the others. "Anyone have any questions?" She looked pointedly at Lance.

"How do you know all of this? You said something about journals, but how would you have gotten those?" Sven asked.

"This is not the first mission to Arus," Madi told them. "The Alliance actually sent a group of explorers there twenty years ago, and was able to recover the journals from the remains of the old Castle of Lions, as it was called in Arus's heyday."

"So if they sent a team that long ago, why didn't they try to recover Voltron then?" Keith asked. He had one hand on Allura's knee, and the other was fisted on the table.

Madi drank the rest of her water and looked at him. When she spoke again, her voice was soft. "The explorers that were sent scouted around some on Arus, and found nothing. There were no people, no buildings, no _nothing_. But they did discover the robot lions, and the lions ran them off the planet."

"You said before that the lions are sentient. Maybe they were just trying to guard the planet," Pidge said, his voice quiet.

"Well, if that's the case, they'll probably try to run us off, too," Hunk chimed in. He shrugged. "If these robot cats are alive, how in the hell are we supposed to wrangle them up and bring them back to Earth? I mean, Hawkins made it sound like it was just one big mecha. He didn't say it'd been split into five robot lions."

Madi nodded. "I know. And he told you that because he doesn't know it's been split into five lions. You see, he was working with my CO, my mentor. And only certain things were told to Hawkins about Voltron."

"So we only know certain things then, too," Keith said. He sighed. "How did you know we were going to Arus? Who is your CO?"

"He's not my CO anymore." Madi abruptly got up and walked toward the door to the room. She turned and looked at them all. "I really need to rest now. I'll fill you in on more things later." And she walked out before any of them could say something to her.

Keith stood up and stretched. "She's given us a lot to think about, team. Why don't you all try and get some rest, and when she's ready, we'll have her tell us the rest," he said, his voice quiet.

"You don't really believe all that, do you?" Hunk asked. "I mean, c'mon. We're supposed to believe we're descended from Arus? That our, what, great-grandparents were from there? I'd never even _heard_ of Arus until Hawkins called me into his office." His tone bordered on disbelief.

"I think we need to let her tell us everything before we make a snap judgment," Keith told him.

Hunk snorted. "Yeah, right. I for one don't believe it. I highly doubt these robot lions of hers ran off another exploration team. I thought she said they were badly-damaged, anyway."

"Just damaged enough they couldn't form Voltron," Pidge said. He shrugged and looked at Keith. "I'm intrigued enough to listen to everything she has to say."

Keith smiled at him. "Thanks, Pidge. I am, too." He looked down at Allura, who was still seated. "What do you think?"

She slowly got to her feet and eyed the men on the team. "I think we need to listen to everything, and then see if she has the research to back it all up."

"Yeah, I'm with you," Sven said. He headed toward the door. "And I'm beat, so I'm heading to bed."

Keith watched his team leave, Hunk still muttering beneath his breath. Allura kissed his cheek and told him she'd see him later. Keith nodded and made to follow her, but Lance called him back. Irritated, Keith turned on him. "What, McClain?"

Lance rocked back on his heels. "Lose the attitude, Cap. Doesn't fit you," he said. The twinkle left his eyes and he added, to Keith's surprise, "I believe her. I don't know why, but I do. Call me crazy."

Keith studied the younger man. "You sure it's not just that you think she's hot?" he asked, not able to help himself.

Lance's hazel eyes narrowed in temper. "Yeah, I think she's hot. You do too. So do the other guys. Any guy with a pulse would. That's not why I believe her. I just don't think this is something she could make up."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Lance shrugged. "Because you're the boss. Because I think you believe her, too. Whatever." He made to go by Keith, and he put a hand on Lance's shoulder. "What?" he snapped.

Keith leveled a hard look on him. "Thank you," he finally said, unsure of what else to tell the pilot.

Lance's face drained of its tension, and he nodded. "You're welcome." He left the room and Keith leaned back against the wall.

_What have I gotten us all into? Is Madi telling us the truth? Do I believe anything she's said? Why wouldn't her CO tell Hawkins everything? Who else knows about Voltron? Is this just some sort of conspiracy theory? Is there actually a Voltron? _His head swam with all the questions, and he realized he needed sleep badly. Sighing, he headed down toward the sleeping quarters. He found Allura in her bunk, her sooty lashes resting gently on her tanned cheeks as she slept, and he smiled gently. He loved watching her sleep, even though he knew some people would misconstrue it as being creepy. It wasn't that at all. He simply liked knowing his girl could find enough peace to really let go and rest.

He climbed into the bunk directly across from hers. He could see Madi resting in a bunk forward of theirs; Pidge was across from her, and Keith wondered if maybe the younger man was developing a crush on the AIC agent. He sighed to himself and rolled to face the wall of the ship. He didn't want to think about things like that. There were too many necessary things to think about. His breathing began to even out as he fell into an exhausted slumber.

"I told you! I told you we shouldn't trust her!"

Keith sat up and stopped just short of whacking his head on the bottom of the bunk above him. Hunk's deep booming voice had jolted him out of a deep, dreamless sleep. He glanced over and saw that Allura was gone, and got up, swearing slightly as Hunk continued his tirade. He followed the angry voices out into the hall, where Hunk and Lance were standing toe-to-toe. Pidge and Allura flanked them, and Sven had Madi by the arm, a vicious look on his face.

"Enough!" Keith bellowed, and everyone turned their heads to look at him. He pointed at Hunk. "What the hell is going on out here?"

Hunk pointed at Madi, who looked furious. "We caught her using the computer, sending some kinda code to someone she won't name," he said, and his anger made his voice reverberate. "McClain here says we should listen to her side of the story, but I say no. She needs to go!"

"Go where? We can't just throw her off the ship!" Lance argued. "She'd die."

"So? Who cares? She's spying on us!" Hunk bellowed.

Keith stepped in-between the two men, leveling a glare at both of them. "Enough," he said. He looked at Madi. "Everyone get back into the conference room now." Madi met his icy glare with one of her own, and tried to wrench her arm from Sven's hold, but he held tight and swung her around toward the conference room. Keith nodded at the others. "Get going," he barked. Allura hung back and waited as the others followed Sven and Madi, Hunk and Lance both snarling under their breaths. Keith watched them go, then dropped his gaze to his girlfriend. "We're not leaving that room until this is resolved," he told her quietly.

"I know." She gave him a quick hug around his trim waist. "Just remember, I'm on your side," she said. He smiled and reached an arm around her, holding her to him for a moment as he pressed his lips to hers for a quick kiss.

"Thanks. Come on. I don't want Hunk and McClain killing each other." He stepped back from her and walked down to the conference room, Allura following. When they stepped inside, he saw Sven sitting on one side of Madi, with Lance on the other. Hunk and Pidge sat across from them. Keith shut the door and turned back to the others.

"Alright, Madi, the truth. Who were you sending a message to?" he asked. Allura sat at the head of the table, but he remained on his feet, standing behind Hunk and Pidge and keeping his gaze on the agent.

Madi sighed. "Look, it's not how it looks, okay? I had to let my contact know that I was safe and with your team."

"Who is your contact? Who was your old CO?" Keith asked. He crossed his arms over his chest and kept a scowl on his face. He needed her and the others to know he met business.

She shifted in her chair. "My old CO was Agent Commander John Wisdom. He was the one who discovered the Alliance was sending a team to Arus the first time, and he was the one who got ahold of the journals when the team arrived back on Earth."

"When you say 'got ahold of,' you mean he stole them," Sven said.

Madi slowly nodded. "Yes."

"Why? Why did he care?" Hunk asked, leaning toward her across the table.

"Easy, Hunk," Keith warned. He added, "Answer the question, Madi."

"Because he'd heard rumors floating around the AIC that the Alliance was looking for an old war relic, something so powerful that it could be used to control all of the other planets. John figured that something that potent shouldn't be placed into the Alliance's hands, and he stole the journals and hid them away. He read them secretly, and discovered just what it was the Alliance had been searching for." She paused, looked down at her hands folded in her lap. "He brought me into the know three years ago, when the journals were stolen from him."

"Who stole them from him?" Allura asked.

Madi glanced at her and sighed. She was clearly uncomfortable with the question, but Keith knew they had to have the answers. "Madi, please. If you want us to trust you, you need to trust us. We need to know _everything_," he said.

She slowly nodded. "I know, but you have to understand: this is all information that I've been told to guard with my life. I know Jeff trusts you, and he would want me to trust you, but this is hard for me."

"Yeah, well, we risked our lives coming to save you, so you owe us," Hunk said. His deep voice reverberated with anger, and her hazel eyes narrowed a little.

"You wouldn't have any idea what to do on Arus, or how important those lion mechas are without me," she told him. There was a touch of haughtiness in her voice. "But, you're right." She leaned forward in her chair. "The journals were stolen by Commander Gerald Foxx, who runs the Applied Military Sciences Division. John was able to recover the journals, but we both feared that Commander Foxx learned enough about Voltron to be dangerous, to not only himself, but to others, as well." She bit her lip. "Well, actually I _know_ that he's dangerous." Her voice trembled, just a touch.

Allura looked at Keith, and he saw the question in her eyes. He knew exactly what she wanted to say to Madi, but wasn't sure they should tell her what they knew. He looked at Madi and said, "Have you been able to talk to your brother lately?"

She frowned. "Just a few minutes here or there, and I've gotten a couple of emails from him. Why? What do you know?"

Keith stayed quiet, wondering if telling Madi would be the right thing to do. Allura cleared her throat delicately and when he glanced at her, she nodded toward Madi. He sighed. _I guess we should tell her. We should be open with her, too._ "Right before we left on this mission, Allura and I visited Jeff. When we were leaving, Jeff mentioned he had a meeting with Commander Foxx," he finally said, watching her intently for her reaction.

He realized he hadn't needed to watch her so closely to see a reaction. Madi's mouth fell open, and a sheer look of panic and horror crossed her face. She jumped to her feet, knocking her chair over, and tried to run. Sven, quick as lightning, was up and grabbed her arm, yanking her to a halt. "Let go of me!" she said, her voice rising in fright.

"Stand still," Sven ordered. He kept a tight hold on her, and looked at Keith.

"Madi, what is it? Why did that upset you so much?" Keith asked. His heart was starting to pound, and he wondered vaguely if her fright was a very bad omen for this mission.

She focused her large hazel eyes on him and said, "Because Commander Foxx had John Wisdom murdered."


	14. Chapter 14

I don't own Voltron or any of its associated characters.

Another chapter, just because you all rock! Enjoy :-)

CALL OF THE LIONS

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:

"Murdered?" Pidge's eyes widened behind his glasses.

"Yes." Madi nodded. "Shortly after I was sent to Xerces. Foxx knew John and I would try to stop him from using the notes in the journal." She looked at Sven. "Can you please let go of me? I need to warn Jeff."

Sven looked over at Keith, who nodded. Sven let go of her and said, "Sorry I was rough. I didn't want you escaping before you explained." He spoke in a calm voice, and Madi nodded.

"I understand." She looked at Keith. "Please, I've got to warn him. Foxx is a very dangerous man. I don't want my brother anywhere near him."

"Your brother is a Marine, isn't he?" Hunk asked. "He can handle himself." His voice held all kinds of distrust.

Keith frowned. He knew Hunk and the rest of his team weren't inclined to really believe anything Madi was saying, except for Lance, who had already admitted that he believed her. "I will email him, Madi, and tell him to be careful around Foxx," he said.

"No." She shook her head vehemently. "I need to talk to him. He can't be around Foxx at all." She turned to walk away from Sven, but he lunged and grabbed her arm again. "Let go of me," she ordered, her voice cold and commanding.

"Hey, ease up," Lance said, getting to his feet. His eyes were narrowed. "She told you why she's upset."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we're letting her wander around our ship," Sven told him. He pulled out a chair. "Sit down, please," he told Madi. She scowled and looked beseechingly at Keith.

"I really need to talk to him, Keith. Please," she said.

"We need more answers before you do that," Hunk said. "Like, how was your CO murdered? How do you know he was murdered and it wasn't an accident? Who's your contact now?"

Keith sighed internally. He wanted to help Madi out, but he knew Jeff could handle himself. He'd fought alongside Dukane and knew the capabilities the other man possessed. "Hunk's right, Madi. We need to know everything."

"And then I can talk to him?" she asked.

Keith hesitated. It was his call, and his team would back up whatever decision he made. He figured even McClain would. "We'll see." He nodded at the chair Sven had pulled out. "Please, sit."

She sighed and sat down. Lance sat down next to her, throwing a glare Sven's way. Sven ignored it and sat down next in the chair closest to Allura. "To answer your first two questions, Captain Garrett, I know my CO was murdered, and how. He has a swimming pool in his backyard, and he was found handcuffed to the drain." Her voice wavered, and Lance reached out and put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. She glanced at him. "As for my contact," she took a deep breath, "it's another AIC agent who was brought in to work with me from back on Earth. She was assigned specifically by John. Her name is Lisa Quin."

Allura inhaled sharply, and Keith looked at her, feeling his jaw slacken. "Lisa Quin?" Allura said, almost breathlessly.

"Yes," Madi said. She frowned. "Do you know her?"

Allura looked back at Keith, and he nodded. "She and I were best friends in high school," she explained. "I thought maybe she'd gone into the military, but we lost touch soon after high school."

Madi's eyes softened a little. "I've never met her. She was brought in after John got the journals back; he thought that we needed another person in the know in case something happened to one of us. She's the one who put the tracking code in your electrical system, and let me know when you were leaving. She's also been trying to keep an eye on Foxx, but he's incredibly intelligent and not easy to shadow." She twisted her hands together on the table. "But she did find out that Foxx knew I was at Xerces. He called in some favors in the Fleet Command to get the Winter Fleet sent to Kildarre," she added.

"Wait, the Winter Fleet was sent there to take _you_ out?" Hunk snorted. "Yeah, right. No one is that important." He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his massive chest.

Madi shook her head slowly. To Keith, she almost looked defeated. "Believe what you want, Captain Garrett, but yes, the Winter Fleet was sent to destroy Xerces, and me in the process. You see, Foxx found out, somehow, that I had the journals."

"Wouldn't he want to get them back?" Pidge asked.

"Not necessarily. I think Foxx had copied everything he needed out of the journals, and didn't want them falling into any other hands. He wanted to control the knowledge of Voltron himself," Madi said.

"What else do you know? Do you have the journals with you?" Keith asked.

She nodded. " I do. I've hidden them for safe keeping." Her voice was wary, and the wariness transferred to her eyes.

"I want to see them." Keith didn't want her to be afraid of him, or his team, but they needed the information she had.

"Let me talk to Jeff first." Madi raised her chin a little. "I promise to give them to you right after I talk to my brother."

"I say we get the journals now," Hunk said, glancing back at Keith. "She's a spy. We don't know if we can trust her. For all we know, she's been spinning lies since she got on this ship."

Keith felt all eyes on him, and he hardened his resolve. He had to – he was the leader of this team, and they trusted him to make the right decision. "I need to see the journals, Madi. Once I have them, I will try to get Jeff on the line for you." He spoke in a calm but hard voice.

She opened her mouth, like she might argue, but in the end, she merely nodded. "May I go get them?" she asked.

He nodded. "Sven, go with her."

Sven got up and motioned toward the door. "Lead the way," he told Madi. She left the room without looking back, and Keith let out a deep breath. He'd almost expected her to run, which would've been stupid. There was nowhere for her to go.

"Why don't you lay off her?" Lance asked, his voice harsh. He was pointing at Hunk. "She's cooperated with us since we picked her up. Give her some slack."

Hunk sat forward, the chair creaking under his massive bulk. "Give her some slack? Do you really believe any of this crap she's telling us? Our ancestors are from Arus? Giant robot lions? I mean, come on!"

"Yeah, I do believe her. Why would she lie? She knows as soon as we saw the journals we'd know if she's tellin' the truth!" Lance snarled back.

"Yeah, if we can read 'em!" Hunk said hotly. "They're probably written in some ancient language!"

"Gentlemen." Allura's sharp voice broke between them. "Knock it off. We are giving Madi the benefit of the doubt here, until otherwise proven wrong." She looked at Keith, and he saw the determination sparking in her blue eyes. "She may be a spy, but she's Galaxy Alliance. That's good enough for me."

"Me too," he said, nodding. The door opened again and Madi and Sven walked back in. She walked over to Keith and handed him five very old books. Their covers were some sort of leather; they felt like silk yet looked rough. He carefully set them down on the table near Allura as Sven and Madi took their seats. He kept one in his hands, and opened its cover. The pages were yellowed, but the writing still shone through with no problem. He looked at Madi, who was watching him. "It's in English," he said, amazed. "Didn't the Arusians have their own language?"

"Yes, but these were written specifically in English. There are notes about that in the first journal," she said. "If they had been written in Arusian, I doubt anyone could've understood them. They were written in English on-purpose, so that others could read them and know the Arusian history. It's pretty amazing," Madi said softly.

"How did they know English?" Pidge asked, his eyes riveted on the journals.

Madi shrugged. "We don't know. That's not discussed in the journals." She pointed at the old books. "But everything I've told you is in them. The story about Voltron, about it being broken apart, the lion mecha not being able to form into Voltron again." She sighed. "And about our ancestors having to leave Arus once Voltron had fallen."

Keith flipped very carefully through the old book, catching snippets of information here and there. He paused at an illustration of a large mecha; it looked incredibly big, with lion heads for feet and hands. Its head bore a helmet with horn-type protrusions. He turned the journal toward Madi. "Is this Voltron?"

"It is," she said. "There are drawings of the lions, too, further back."

Keith showed the others the image of Voltron. Lance and Sven just nodded, and Hunk snorted a little, as if not impressed. Pidge grinned. "That is a cool mech!" he said.

Allura looked very intrigued, and turned to Madi. "What else do you know about the lions? If they're sentient, how do they interact with their pilots?"

"As far as the journals say, the lions bond with their pilots. The lions can communicate with one another too, but I'm not sure how. It's pretty vague in the journals." Madi smiled a little. "I'm really excited to see them up close."

Keith found the pictures of the lions. There were five of them, all robotic-looking, and all a different color: black, red, green, blue, and yellow. The black lion seemed to be bigger, more stocky, than the rest of them. "They resemble mountain lions," he said, and held the journal out to Hunk. Hunk thumbed through the pages with the lions on them, and then passed it to Pidge, who eagerly looked through the pages.

"They do look like cougars," Madi agreed.

Lance had the journal and looked curiously at each lion. "I like the red one," he said, grinning. "Hotrod red – my kind of color."

"You would," Allura said, smiling.

Keith braced himself for another bantering conversation between his girlfriend and McClain, but Lance didn't reply. He pointed at the journal and said to Madi, "They don't look weaponized."

"They are, but they don't show their weapons unless they're needed. It explains it in the back of this journal," she said. She looked at Keith. "Do you trust what I've told you now? Can I talk to Jeff?"

He nodded. "I've seen enough. I'll let you call from my office." He turned toward the door, and added over his shoulder, "The rest of you look through the journals. We need to familiarize ourselves with them."

Madi followed him to his office, and he picked up the satellite phone, handing it to her. She punched in a number and stood waiting, tense. Keith crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall. The room was small, and he didn't want to feel like he was crowding her. She bit her lip, her tension radiating from her. "Jeff? Jeff, thank God. Look, I need you to stay away from Commander Foxx." She listened for a few seconds, and her face began turning white. "What? No, no you can't do that. Jeff, listen to me, please. He's a bad man. He had my CO murdered – what? No, listen to me!" Her voice rose high, and Keith stood up straight, frowning. "Jeff, please. He's a bad man. You can't work with him!" Her eyes closed and she set the phone down on Keith's desk.

"Madi?" Keith took a step toward her.

"He won't listen. Foxx has him working on some secret project that he said Jeff is perfect for." She opened her eyes. "He said I'm delusional about Foxx, that he's a great man and would never have someone murdered." She swallowed hard. "I just know Foxx is going to use him somehow in his Voltron program."

"Do you know for sure that Foxx is going to try and build a version of Voltron?" Keith asked, his voice quiet.

"The last intel I received from John, before Lisa told me he'd been drowned, was that Foxx had had some Alliance engineers draw up a schematics of a Voltron-type mecha. It didn't look quite like the Voltron of Arus, but something similar. I can only guess that's the program Foxx is involving Jeff in." Her voice was shaky, and Keith reached out to touch her shoulder. "You've proven yourself to me, to the team, enough for now," he said, his voice gentle. "Why don't you get some rest."

She shook her head. "I can't. Not now, not knowing Jeff won't listen to me. I need to get in contact with Lisa and see if she can do something from her end." She rubbed at her eyes. "Thank you, though, for trusting me. I know it's quite a far-fetched sounding idea."

He smiled. "Well, it does help to have the journals to back your story," he said. "You can use my office to contact Lisa, if you'd like."

"Thank you." She nodded and he stepped out, closing the door behind him. When he walked back into the conference room, he found his team studying the journals. Allura looked up and smiled at him.

"These lion mecha sound pretty cool," she said. He walked over and kissed her temple, and looked down at the journal she had open. She tapped the page. "There are pretty intensive notes about how the lions were built. Magic was involved."

"Yeah, I don't know about all that," Hunk said. "I can get behind the idea of them being robotic, but not magical."

"Guess we'll find out," Keith said, hoping to dispel any arguments that might arise. He was over having to break up fights between his teammates. He touched Allura's arm. "I need to talk to you," he whispered. She nodded and started to follow him from the room. He expected some quip from McClain, but the pilot said nothing, and he let out a sigh. Maybe McClain was finally going to start acting like an adult. He led Allura to the main passenger compartment, and once there, turned and pulled her into his arms. He ran a hand through her long hair and said, "I needed some alone time with you."

She smiled, her blue eyes lighting up with warmth. "Me too, handsome." She trailed a fingertip from his temple to his jaw, and her light touch lit a fire deep inside him. He brought his mouth down to hers and she parted her lips, letting him explore, their tongues twisting and dancing with one another. She leaned hard into him, and he held her tight with one arm, his other coming up so his hand could stroke through her hair. She made a little sound in her throat that made the fire inside him burn even hotter, and he groaned inwardly, knowing he needed to break the kiss before things got too out of hand. He pulled back, and she caught her breath, a glassy look in her eyes. "Wow," she whispered. "We need to do this more often."

He coughed out a laugh and ran a hand through his hair. "I think if we did I'd have you in my bed," he told her.

Her cheeks turned pink. "I'd be okay with that," she murmured. He groaned and pulled her into his arms, rubbing her back.

"Don't tell me that," he said.

"Well, you could just ask me to marry you," she said.

Keith looked down at her, and saw that though her tone was teasing, the look on her face wasn't. He sucked in a quiet breath. "You want to marry me?" he asked.

She smiled. "Well, duh."

He laughed again and picked her up, spinning her in a quick circle before setting her down. "Well, good to know," he said. He was about to say more, but warning klaxons went off and he let go of her and sprinted toward the ladder to the cockpit. Going forward to the seats, he let Allura slip past him. She sat down and scanned the radars. "What is it?" he asked, tense.

"A ship, coming in hot, behind us and to the right," she told him. She keyed the comm. "Get to your posts, team. We've got an inbound bogey."

Lance came up the ladder and quickly took the left seat. He looked over the radar too, and glanced back at Keith. "My gut tells me the _Rabble Rouser_ is our frenemy out there."

"_Rabble Rouser_ to Starfinder 105." A stern voice cut into the cockpit, and Keith leaned forward between the two pilots.

"This is Lieutenant Colonel Kogane speaking," he said, making sure his voice was hard and commanding. "Why are you out here, _Rabble Rouser_?"

"You have something that belongs to us, Lieutenant Colonel. Her name is Agent Madison Dukane."

Lance hit a switch and looked up at Keith. "That's not the same guy that we chatted with before." His eyes hardened to diamonds. "And like hell we're letting them have Madison."

Keith nodded. "I know." He indicated to Lance to turn the comm system between ships back on. "I'm sorry, but Agent Dukane does not belong to anyone, and we are not handing her over to you."

There was static on the comm, and then, "You would be foolish to keep her onboard your ship, Commander Kogane. She will do you no good."

"Doesn't matter. I'm not handing her over to you." Keith nodded to Lance, who shut down the ship-to-ship comm. "Is there any way we can use that rocket-assist again?"

Lance and Allura exchanged a look. "Not if we might need it some other time," Allura told him. "Each time we use it, it stresses the engines. I think we'd better off fighting, if it comes to that."

"Yeah, I'm in agreement with that," Lance said, nodding. "But you better make sure the weapons system is good to go."

Keith keyed the inner comm. "Sven, what's our status on weapons?"

"They're hot, Keith. We're good to go."

Keith took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Turn it on, Lance," he said. Lance flipped the switch. "This Commander Kogane. If you decide to pursue us, we will shoot you down."

"There is no need for that, Commander. We will simply follow you and wait for you to land." The voice was haughty.

"The hell they will," Lance ground out through his teeth. He looked back at Keith. "We don't want them landing on Arus with us."

"No, we don't." Keith touched the comm button. "Sven, give them a shot across the nose."

"You got it." The ship immediately shuddered.

Allura tapped the radar display. "That woke them up. They're veering off now, to the port side."

Keith rubbed his chin. There was no way he was giving them Madi, and they couldn't let the other ship track them. "Sven, give 'em a tap." Their ship shook again, and he thought, _Well hell, here we go._


End file.
